Eternal Nocturne
by Princess of Rose
Summary: Sequel to Nocturne's Return. Two years after Xemnas is defeated, Demyx discovers a piece of information that turns his whole world upside down. Also, the forces of darkness, once thought to be at bay, seem to be pressing closer... Yuffiemyx, Sokai
1. Prologue: Regretful

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or anything related to it. However, I do own the storyline, certain names, and all OCs.

**WARNING: This story may/will contain strong language, violence, blood, alcohol and drug references, and some suggestive themes. This isn't for the faint of heart. :)**

Summary: Sequel to Nocturne's Return. Two years after Xemnas is defeated, Demyx discovers a piece of information that turns his whole world upside down. Also, the forces of darkness, once thought to be at bay, seem to be pressing closer...

Rating: T. May be upped to an M, depending on circumstance.  
>Pairings: Strong Yuffiemyx, Sokai; some AerithZack. 

Eternal Nocturne  
>Prologue<br>Regretful

_I have no regrets._

My breath comes hot and ragged, each intake a stab of fire at my lungs. I can't quite remember how long I'd been running; I just know I have to keep going.

The enemy follows me easily, listlessly; I ignore it, chasing towards my goal.

My heart pounds insistently. I am driving it to its limit, but it's proof that I'm alive, and very real. Blood blossoms inside my body. The exertion is making me wonder how long it will take until my body will just give out. I know it won't take me long to find out.

Still, I can't stop. There's no time to rest, to recuperate. I've gone too far to stop now, not when I've nearly accomplished everything I've strived for.

My temperature has skyrocketed; my normal cool ninety-four was staggered for something bordering on one-oh-three. Beneath my coat, I'm slick with sweat. My mind doesn't know where to stay, whether it is with my physical discomfort or with my determination.

Dazed, somewhat fevered, I slump against a wall, breathing unnaturally. It is raining. I reach a trembling hand towards a puddle, seeking to borrow strength from the water, but unsure if it will work, considering how far gone I know I am.

The sky is dark, the air, cold. It has been years since I've come here; yet, it still looks the same. In fact, if I let my eyesight blur, it's easy to imagine my black raincoat lengthening, and easy to imagine my jeans and soaking sneakers blending together into black boots.

I am breathing so hard. Each swirl of blood to my brain is like a violent exclamation point. I've never pushed myself this hard.

My hood falls slack, and I lean my head against the wall. I clutch my chest with one hand; with the other, I fumble in my pocket for the keys.

They're here. They've got to be. What have we spent so long looking for? My hand squeezes the ring. Sweat pours down my face, an odd contrast to the rain.

My left arm hurts. I wonder if this is what it feels like to have a heart attack. I take slow, shallow breaths. I need to finish this up, and soon. I don't think I will recover from this.

My body is slipping into shock. I hadn't known just how severe overexertion could be; I'd always just assumed that I'd tire myself into unconsciousness. I never though it could be deadly; but I guess I, out of everyone else, should have known better. I try to breathe more deeply, but it seems impossible.

I have stayed still too long. I hear the enemy approaching me; with its many legs, it would be impossible _not_ to hear it. I pull myself up, feeling vertigo immediately sweep in. Instinct is starting to take over my blind determination to finish my task; my body begs me to stop, to lie down, to rest. But I can't, and not only because I've gone too far. This creature will kill me.

Through the red haze that is starting to cover my vision, I look around quickly. The alleyway is just narrow enough that I can jump up the wall. Had I not just gone through months of training, I wouldn't dream of this. But the enemy is getting closer. I can smell the darkness. Resisting the urge to vomit, I break into a run. The enemy sees me, roars, and tries to keep up. I jump; the sudden change makes my head spin. I use my legs to ricochet off both of the walls, and am able to pull myself into a balcony. Despite my new strength, that move didn't favor my current condition. The enemy roars; it can still smell me, and sense my presence, but it can't reach me.

My fevered mind has had enough. Consciousness is drawing in; my muscles fall slack. The rain falls onto my face, an oddly cool sensation.

I smile weakly as the shock sets in. Well, I tried my best. My temperature, as quickly as it had gone up, drops because of my poor circulation. I don't have enough energy to even fix the damage. With a trembling hand, I roll my shirtsleeve up and slam my hand down on my watch. The glass breaks, and blood trickles down my wrist. I don't care if I die, as long as they find the keys, and finish my mission.

I hear the distress signal ping feebly once as I am pulled under.

* * *

><p>Enyah! Quite an odd prologue, yes? Usually they take place at a weird time in the story XD<p>

It feels so weird, finally starting this part of the story after waiting so long. And I must say, if you're here from Nocturne's Return, I highly recommend you go and read the rewrite of that; that contains various plot points that were unexplored in the original. It's up to you, I guess.

On that note, hello to everyone I haven't seen in a while! ^-^

First of all, this story will be _long_, and not thirty or forty chapters. I'm guesstimating at least sixty chapters, probably even more, so be forewarned. Also, I can't possibly post something every week like last time, so it may take two or three weeks before anything new is posted. I will also be taking the entire month of November off, because I will be part of National Novel Writing Month.

I'm not screwing around with this story anymore. There's going to be some pretty heavy material; in fact, some of it makes me wonder if I should up the rating to M. Have no fear; however, proceed with caution.

Tell me what you honestly think :)

-Princess of Rose


	2. Trouble in Paradise

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Chapter One  
>Trouble in Paradise<p>

_Demyx Hasegawa, 18, a young musician who recently proved his worth with his last album,_ New Green Soul, _is publishing yet again… with some hesitation._

_"I'm not sure if this album will be as well received," he told us one day on the campus of Sector 6's Community College, where he is a student. "There's a lot less lyrics, a lot more composition. I wanted there to be a better base in classical music. I figured it was about time I confronted my roots."_

_Hasegawa was originally born in Japan, and immigrated to Radiant Gardena little under two years ago. Currently, he works in a small record store where he first met McKenzie Ortega, who signed him to her label after hearing him play sitar, an Indian instrument. He also teaches said instrument on the side, hoping he can spark popularity for the sitar, but would also be glad just to help new musicians stroke their creative side._

_"It's a difficult instrument to learn, and takes a lot of time. Obviously, it's not for everyone. Even _I'm_ not an expert yet."_

_Hasegawa's newest album, _Nameless Shadow, _is hitting stores on May 15__th__._

* * *

><p>"Made it in the papers again, huh?" Axel said, slamming the newspaper down in front of me. The article had been circled in red pen, as if I couldn't see it already. He smiled, ruffled my hair. I stuck my tongue out at him.<p>

"Axel. It's a filler. On the tenth page. No one's going to read it."

"Oh, please. Can't you just let me be proud of you? Considering, you know, you could have turned out to be a fuckup."

I smiled sarcastically at him, took another drag of hot chocolate. It was May, but still as cold as March. "Yeah, you're the one to talk."

He scowled at me and grabbed his coat. "Anyway, I've got to get to work. See you later."

The door shut behind him, leaving unexpected silence. I sighed, read the article over. I was _semi-_famous around here- people knew my name, but hardly ever really bugged me. It wasn't like sitar music was ever really sensational. I liked where I was, statistically.

One thing that really bugged me, though, was that while they mentioned where I worked and where I went to school, they didn't publicize that I was a member of the Restoration Committee. It would be nice, at least that little bit of publicity, even though everyone pretty much knew that it was us who dragged this town back into shape.

I looked around the small apartment I shared with Axel. There was plenty of room, actually. We were both paid well enough to afford it. For the first time in a while, I realized just how _normal_ things had become, especially after what happened so long ago.

We used to be Nobodies, working for Organization XIII. I'd gone to different worlds, had control over a group of lesser Nobodies. I'd seen tragedies happen in worlds, sometimes _oversaw_ those conflicts under orders. I'd redeemed myself, and yet, sometimes I still felt guilty.

But now we were humans. My pulse was evidence of that. I'd sorted out paperwork, established an identity, and started college, started work. I'd made friends, been accepted. I had a girlfriend. Yes, everything was just the way I wanted it to be.

Yet, there was such a _nagging_ feeling, like something bad would happen, very soon. I'd learned to trust my intuition over these past two years, and it was usually never wrong.

I downed the rest of my drink, put the cup in the sink. I looked at the newspaper once again, grabbed my things, and shut the door behind me.

* * *

><p>After all was said and done with Xemnas, life kind of settled into a routine.<p>

School. Work. Teach sitar. Practice. Compose. Meet with Yuffie. Meet with the committee. Have dinner with Axel and Yuffie.

It didn't seem like there was enough hours in the day for my schedule. And it was true, I didn't have much time to just sit and stare. Or think, really.

I don't mind. It's an easy life, one I don't have any problems fitting into. I'm not bored of it.

(That nagging feeling was still eating at me. Crunch, crunch. It might as well have been chewing my ribs. I couldn't think about anything else.)

But… there's always one of those, isn't there? Something was going to happen. Damn. I needed to talk to Aerith. She was the only one who took me seriously when I felt that premonition.

All my finals this year were finished. Right now, I was just puttering around campus, meeting with other students for lessons. It wasn't just sitar I taught, but regular guitar and violin. There wasn't much interest for anything else, but I knew a whole lot of instruments if someone wanted to find me.

I sat under a tree, eating the remainder of my breakfast- an apple. It was cold and cloudy, a miserable day. Usually around this time of year, Radiant Garden was absolutely perfect. Warm, breezy, the allergens curbing off. Not many flowers had even bloomed this spring. It felt winterish. I shivered and huddled in my jacket.

"Demyx. You are Demyx, aren't you?"

I blinked and looked up. It wasn't the initial words that startled me- it was the tone of voice. The person sounded inexplicably older than he or she had to be. I looked up. It was just a boy. His hair was all shoved under a stocking cap. He had a familiar facial structure. Had I met him before? "Yes, I am. Do you need something?"

His slate gray eyes were pretty much emotionless. I watched them intently. There was no flicker, not so much as a blip of emotion, of thought. Even a human on their guard simply wouldn't be that blank…

That pure emptiness started to rouse something in me… I could almost _remember_… "Do I… know you?"

"You could say that," said the boy. He wore black, bundled for the cold winter weather. He stood, staring at me with that empty gaze.

"Do you need something?" I repeated.

He blinked. The situation felt increasingly awkward.

"I'm sorry, but I just can't remember you," I said. "Can you… refresh my memory?" I wasn't bad with faces, either. Just this one… it was as if my mind didn't _want_ to remember.

All of a sudden, the boy smiled. He reached up with one hand, going to take off his cap.

Instinct took over. I leapt up. I may have just been overreacting, yet… I sensed the danger coming from this boy.

Violet hair fell over his face, covering his right eye.

Now I knew why he was so familiar.

The boy… he looked exactly like Zexion.

I blinked. Was this he? Was it an imposter? And if it was he… how was he alive?

"_Now_ you recognize me," he said in that soft, level voice.

Zexion and I had never been best friends. That much was true. He was a genius, and I, the idiot who followed him around because I had no other friends. When he discovered my lack of education, he tutored me, brought me back to the right level. He was quiet, and he was Vexen's little servant… but he'd never done any evil that I'd seen. Then again, he had been the 'Cloaked Schemer…'

But Zexion never showed emotion. Not once had I seen him so much as smile.

So this was a fake. Simple.

"I'm glad I don't really know you," the boy continued, going to take a step forward. "But my likeness did… it's just too bad that I have to kill you."

I gasped and ducked just as soon as he went to attack. His fist slammed into the tree; apparently, the copy was unaccustomed to pain. He screamed. I grabbed him by the shoulders, but even when this replica was in pain, he was still strong. He grabbed my arm and flipped me. I landed on my back, getting all the wind knocked out of me.

All this happened within a few seconds.

"Shit," the copy swore, clutching his bleeding hand. "I've got to deal with you… in other ways."

"It doesn't have to be like this," I told him. "Who's ordering you? You don't have to listen to him!"

"Shut up!" The boy screamed.

Suddenly, the scent of darkness assailed me. I dodged a lone tendril, ending up on the ground.

What did I do? I could fight him, obviously. There were just so many unanswered questions, and not enough time to think… no wonder Sora used to just run into battle, Keyblade drawn…

I quickly rolled and jumped up, summoning my sitar. The Zexion copy laughed at me. "That's it? An instrument? What can you possibly do, play me to sleep?"

"Apparently you have none of Zexion's intelligence," I murmured, playing a chord. Water slapped him upside the face.

Yet that one tendril… he'd been waiting for something. The darkness struck me above my left eye.

All thought left my body. I suddenly couldn't comprehend anything but pain, even in that slightest touch. My body, my _soul_ rejected it. It hurt so badly I couldn't even scream. I fell to my knees, blood pouring into my eye, staining everything red. I felt like I couldn't breathe. My worst memories- Myde's memories- came rushing through.

"How could you have ever been a Nobody," the replica asked, the question half a sneer and half curiosity, "When even the slightest touch of darkness leaves you like this?"

I was lying on the ground, motionless, still trying to comprehend the pain.

He laughed. "This should be easy then…"

Waves seized me. My powers felt numb- they refused to come. The darkness crushed in on me, and I couldn't even stop it.

My eyes went wide. I couldn't move- I was completely still. In my mind, I was screaming; death would be better than this. The darkness wasn't hurting my body yet- it was ripping at my heart, my soul. I could only hope that they wouldn't be permanently stained. The darkness greedily tugged at my body. I could feel it sucking the life out of me… And I was powerless to stop it.

"What the hell is going on?" Someone screamed. There was a metallic clang, and the hold on me was released. I dropped back into the real world, struggling for air, trying to make sense of physical pain that my body couldn't comprehend… "Demyx… Demyx, are you okay?"

It was Axel's voice. My eyes struggled to focus, but everything was grainy… kind of dark. One of my eyes was dyed red completely.

There was another clang… and distantly, I smelt smoke. I wondered if I was going to die. My breathing was uneven, my heartbeat uncertain. I heard screams… inhuman screams… the Zexion replica… no, the _Heartless_, I could see his true form now, a silhouette in the shape of the person I had once known. Those yellow eyes stared at me.

The copy was now simply gone, having gone back to its home.

Axel came over to me, slowly. There was a cut on his bicep, and it was bleeding heavily. "Demyx… can you hear me?"

I nodded, once.

He put an arm around me. "We're going to go to Aerith, okay? Can you stand?"

I couldn't respond. He put an arm around my waist and tried to help me up. I stumbled. Everything still surely _hurt_. I think I was crying. Blackness was closing in on me as my body struggled to heal.

I collapsed.

* * *

><p>I drifted in and out over the next few hours. Never quite there, all I heard were bits and pieces of conversation-<p>

"I don't understand why it poisoned him so thoroughly…"

"How are they… back? A copy of…?"

"I don't understand it myself. I couldn't think. It had _Demyx._"

"Will he be okay…?"

"Well, guys. You know what this means."

"We have to speak to Sora."

And in a lower voice, I heard Axel say, "It all happened so quickly, too. It's like he knew."

* * *

><p>This was originally the prologue, before I wrote the other one, so that's why it's short. It's not the best, but I couldn't have really written it any other way. All in all, I'm neither pleased nor disappointed with this.<p>

Oh, yeah, _**TheChel**_ drew a fanart for me of Nocturne's Return! Actually, it's less of a fanart and more of a drawing of the outfit I designed for Luxord. Still, it's really cool. The link is under the description for Nocturne's Return: Revamped in my profile. :)

I've been pretty busy lately. I just started school, but already I've had several tests and have more lined up tomorrow. ...And I'm only a sophomore... I'm glad I have a surplus of updates already completed, so the next few chapters will be updated regularly (every Thursday).

As for reviews, I'm surprised I received so much! I know it won't be like that for the whole story, but it was still nice. :) Thank you to _**Draginninja, The Moon's Berserk, Leixym, Zexiontwo, DJ36521, pkmnfan11, TheChel, Willowfur, Mystical, littlev123, Kiexa,**_ as well as anonymous reviewers _**Ms. Reasoning **_and _**Wolven24KH**_. And I can't forget Anna.

Ms. Reasoning, I actually have several questions about your review. Could I possibly be able to email you somehow...? Obviously I can't reply, so if I can contact you on a site or by email...

See you all next Thursday!


	3. A Revelation or Two

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

Chapter Two  
>A Revelation or Two<p>

I came to slowly. I ached everywhere, and the vision in my left eye was still colored red…

"Demyx?" Yuffie asked me. I looked at her, blinked several times. It was difficult to describe our relationship. I still loved her, of course, and she me. We'd still been dating these past two years. Nothing really changed, except she perhaps knew me better than anyone else.

I nodded once, made a personal assessment. The skin on my hands… it wasn't stained with darkness. That was good. I wasn't feeling any sudden urges to go out and destroy the lives of others. My voice came to me slowly. "What… what happened?" I had to clear my throat.

She squeezed my hand. "You were attacked by darkness… it poisoned you, Demyx." She smiled uneasily. "You're okay now."

"Darkness? You mean…" I had to take a deep breath. My chest hurt. "Like…"

"A Heartless?" She offered. "Yes. At least, we think."

"But it looked… it looked almost _human_, Yuffie, it had a body, it looked like…"

"Zexion, Axel told us."

Aerith came over with a glass of water. "Drink this. You bled an awful lot."

I took the glass and absently touched above my eye. There was no obvious scar I could feel- even with my sensitive fingers; I could only feel a small ridge. "Is Axel…?"

"He's fine," she said quickly.

I blinked a few times. My mind was functioning slowly, sure, but they were all treating me with caution. Did I look that terribly? Or was something else going on…? "What's been happening… here?"

"Reconnaissance," Aerith continued. "We're trying to figure out what's going on."

"Did you… try talking to Sora?" I asked, still shaky.

Aerith and Yuffie looked at each other, as if dreading this moment.

"Well, yes," Yuffie murmured. "He… he wants to talk to you."

"Me? Why?" Because I was directly involved in the accident? I hadn't spoken to Sora, on the phone or face to face, in two years. We'd written one another, sure, but we weren't the closest of friends, just friends who had shared an odd experience. Sora liked people. "Is it about… what happened?"

They shared the glance again. Dimly, I remembered what Axel had said- something about a letter.

"You guys are keeping something from me," I said, feeling vaguely ticked. "…What is it, and… why?"

Aerith sighed. "You're just going to have to see."

I went to stand up. "Is it a video call? How do I reach him?"

Aerith put a hand on my shoulder. "Why don't you do it later, Demyx, after you've rested?"

"I won't be able to sleep until I talk to him," I told her firmly. "Please let me go. What could he want?"

They both looked dejected, but let me cross the room and go to Cid.

"How do I talk to him?" I asked, trying to ignore the fact that everyone was staring at me.

Cid picked up a small laptop. It was on, and still warm. He handed it to me. "I'll connect you two. Find a place where you can be alone. I have a feeling this is a conversation you'll want to have in private."

I blinked, perplexed. "What is it that's such a big deal?" I addressed the rest of the room now, my gaze lingering on Yuffie. "What don't you guys want me to know? I'm your friend. I can handle it."

Cid shook his head dismissively and passed the computer back to me. I tucked it under my arm. Glancing back at the others and feeling somewhat hurt, I left.

* * *

><p>Slowly, almost lazily, I walked back to my apartment, and let myself in. It was vacant. I sat in my room, opened the computer.<p>

There was a chat box on the screen. A single line of text was on the screen.

_Sora Awai has joined the conversation._

I blinked, accepted the message. Another box popped up, this one the actual video of him. A light flickered as the webcam booted up.

First of all, I almost didn't recognize him. He looked older; that was right, he was seventeen now, almost eighteen. Sora's face had become noticeably more mature, the expression on his face less childish, more adult. His build had changed, too, and his hair had grown a bit lighter. I knew that I looked, more or less, exactly the same, aside from the bloodstain on my shirt.

"Hi, Demyx," He said calmly, smiling a little. "How are you?"

I nodded in acknowledgement. "Fine, you know, other than the fact that I've just been poisoned by darkness and there's something my closest friends can't tell me." I paused. "That's what this is about, right?"

He frowned. "Straight to the point."

I shrugged. "We can always talk later."

He sighed, put his face in his hand. Sora looked up, met my eyes. Since when had he become so serious? I had watched it all happen indirectly, but now that I could actually _see_ it… "Demyx, I've learned a lot of things in these past two years… some things I've known for a while, and decided it wasn't necessary for you to know. Well… now the time has come." He shrugged. "I didn't know that one move could connect you to all this."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "I don't follow."

He leaned back in his seat. "See, I became a Keyblade Master. I took the official exam and everything."

"I know. You told us." We had all celebrated. It had been a big deal.

"But being a Keyblade Master… it entitles you to certain things." Sora sat up, met my eyes. "The first is my own property where I can train pupils, if I want. The second is… lesser known."

"Go on."

"It's called Keyblade Inheritance. It's how Riku, Kairi and I all got our blades. People- masters or wielders, it doesn't matter- can give their weapon to someone else either by accident, or through a short ceremony." He blinked. "You follow?"

I could see the truth, but didn't want to believe it. "What do you mean?"

He smiled sheepishly. "See, Demyx, when I handed my Keyblade to you so you could kill Xemnas with it… you inherited it by accident. I'm your Master, and you're going to be a Keyblade wielder."

* * *

><p><strong>Yuffie<strong>

"I think we should have told him," I said in a soft voice, looking around the room. Everyone avoided my eyes. "At the very least, you should have told _me,_ so I could have made the choice!" I shook my head, disgusted. "How long have you guys known?"

"Around a month, maybe two," Axel told me. "Sora sent me a letter as soon as he returned from his last journey. He told me not to tell Demyx, that he would reach out to him when it was time. Apparently, it's time."

I crossed my arms. "It's not like Demyx is weak."

"We didn't want him to stress," Aerith said. "Besides, we've all been so busy anyway. I meant to tell him… without the permission of you guys." She blushed. "But it just… never happened. We all just forgot about it, kind of intentionally."

"I just can't believe it," Leon muttered, putting a hand to his head. "Why _Demyx_? It's not like he's bad or anything, but why would Sora… choose him?"

"He didn't," Axel informed him. "It was an accident. Before he even knew about the ceremony, he lent Demyx his Keyblade… to kill Xemnas with. That was two years ago." He sighed and leaned back in his seat. "What I don't understand… is that he's never shown any signs until now."

"There usually aren't any," Leon said. "I remember when I met him… Sora. He said the Keyblade had just come to him when he was in danger."

"I know nothing really dangerous has happened, but why can he summon a sitar, his weapon, when he has the ability to use a Keyblade?" I asked. "Two weapons? It doesn't make any sense. Where do they come from, anyway?"

Axel shrugged. "We don't need to worry about the technicalities now. We just need Sora to come here, and we need to all make sense of this. We need to find out about this Heartless thing, whether it was just the one, or whether they're coming back… but I don't think it's possible."

"They haven't been around since Xemnas died," I murmured.

Suddenly, everyone's heads snapped up.

"What did I say?" I asked, scooting back.

"It's not possible," Axel muttered.

My shock must have been evident on my face. "What? No way. Something that's dead can't come back to life. It's just… no. There has to be some other explanation."

Leon sighed, and leaned on the table. "Well, a lot of impossible things seem to be happening. We need to prepare… for the possibility that Xemnas is still alive." 

* * *

><p><strong>Demyx<strong>

I stared blankly at the monitor. Sora watched me carefully, trying to gauge a reaction.

"Demyx, are you okay?" He asked slowly.

I shook my head, looking at the keyboard. "This isn't happening. I've still got my sitar! I _can't_ be a Keyblade wielder. It's not possible. I'm not the right type of person…"

He tilted his head to the side. It seemed like he'd taken staring lessons from Aerith, the way his eyes bored into mine. "I don't know about all these technicalities. But I can _feel_ it. I'm your Master. It's a very weird connection." He sighed. "I never meant for this to happen."

"Well, obviously." I swallowed. All of a sudden, I wanted to cry.

"I think I know why it happened, though," he said hesitantly. "I sensed it ever since I met you when you were human. You've got this _purity_, Demyx."

I would have laughed at that if the situation weren't so serious.

"It's true," he argued. "Your heart is nearly all light, and obviously it's strong because you became a Nobody. That's one of the requirements of the Keyblade- a strong heart full of light. Not to mention… you don't seem like someone who's corruptible. The Keyblade likes those things. So it liked you."

I exhaled.

"I'm sorry. If I'd known… I didn't want you dragged into all this."

I put my face in my hands. "Why didn't you tell me… as soon as you knew?"

He paused. "I don't know. It just wasn't necessary. That was a stupid move on my part."

I blinked hard. That wasn't really an acceptable answer, but there were more important things to tend to. "What now, then?"

"…Obviously, if the Heartless are coming back, I'm going to have to come over there and train you."

"But I've never summoned the Keyblade. Each and every time, it was my sitar. Maybe…" The hope was just vain at this point.

"You can sense it as well as I can, Demyx."

He was right. There was this weird connection between us. It wasn't like I felt the need to obey him or anything. Things just felt differently. I couldn't put words to it. "…Yes." I paused. "…Are you going to have to… journey again?"

He looked down. "I really hope not. But I have a feeling… The Heartless haven't appeared since Xemnas died. Doesn't that tell you something? I don't know if what you really met was a Heartless, but… Demyx?"

I stared at Axel's poster on the wall. No, it couldn't be.

"Demyx?"

"He can't be… back."

"I'm not sure," he answered me honestly. "I defeated Xehanort's Heartless. Then I defeated his Nobody. Maybe he just has such a strong tie to this world that he can't leave it."

"But what does he want?"

"Kingdom Hearts," Sora stated. "That I know for sure. You told me Xemnas made the fake one for power. That's all Ansem wanted, too. Kingdom Hearts."

"But why? Once he had all the power, what would he do after taking over the World? Destroy it?"

"Over rationalizing won't get us anywhere."

I looked away.

"Maybe I should talk to you later," Sora offered. "It's obviously been a long day for everyone. You should rest, think about things. Let it sink in. We can figure this all out later."

I nodded. "See you, Sora."

He nodded as well, and the window went dark.

* * *

><p>But I didn't go to sleep. It was getting late, and I was tired, but I knew for a fact that I couldn't sleep. In the semidarkness, I walked through town, and to the church.<p>

There was no real widespread religion in Radiant Garden. It was a mixed bag here. There was no real set belief to how the World came about. And for all these different beliefs, there was only one church.

There was no mass. No service. It was just simply a place to pray in, and maybe take the odd moment of privacy to think. There weren't even any priests here, or ministers, or rabbis. Moogles and citizens help take care of it.

At this hour, the place was mostly empty. Candles and lanterns had been lit, giving it an oddly inviting glow.

I washed my hands and mouth before I went inside. There was no set religion, yes, but according to how I had been raised, as a Shinto, cleaning up was necessary.

I headed inside. I felt two different things- numb and also kind of overwhelmed. I went over to the altar and knelt.

But I didn't pray. I had no real room for thought. Guidance would be nice, yes, but chances are, even if I did hear those divine voices I wouldn't listen to them. I looked around. Aerith had planted flowers around the room, white and yellow lilies. Just two weeks ago, they had been flourishing. I noticed, with a little start, that now all of them were wilted. I touched the petals of a flower in the nearest planter, and they came off in my hand.

I sighed. What could all this mean? The Heartless were coming back. I'd been appointed as a Keyblade wielder. It was so cold, for May. And now the flowers were dying.

I knew, from all the time I'd been training with Aerith, that this couldn't all be dismissed. No, something really serious was on the horizon. I was stupid for not noticing it before.

Ever since I noticed I had a gift for healing, two years ago, I had been studying under Aerith as a white mage. I'd never thought it was work I'd have liked, but I actually found it fascinating. Being a healer was different than being a regular doctor. A lot of it was herbs and simple magic. My power over water really helped. I'd learnt a lot from her. Now, I was all legally licensed and graduated. An official mage.

But because I had the ability to heal anything didn't mean I wanted to have to _use _it. Yes, I helped Aerith heal the people who came to her, but none of their wounds and sicknesses was ever really serious. If- no, when, I was sure he'd want me there- I journeyed with Sora, would I really have to use my powers?

"Somehow, I knew you'd be here," Aerith said from behind me. "Praying, or thinking?"

"Thinking," I murmured.

She knelt beside me and clasped her hands. "I'm sorry, Demyx."

I exhaled shakily. "How long have you known?"

"Two months. Axel received a letter in the mail from Sora and came to me. I wanted to tell you, but Leon and Cid agreed it was best you didn't know. Yuffie was never informed." She sighed, too. "I was going to tell you anyway, but it just never happened. We were all so busy, and I guess I… forgot."

I put my head in my hands. "What am I supposed to _do_? Everything was so normal, so _nice_. But now… the Heartless are coming back, and…" I froze. I'd talked about it with Sora, but I'd been so shocked I couldn't comprehend it.

"…And?" She prompted.

"That means… Xemnas is coming back. In one of his forms." I felt like I couldn't breathe. "He… before he died, he claimed there was a connection between us. I don't know how to make sense of it. I don't want to have to face him again."

"It's beyond our control now."

"Yes, I… know."

"So what are you going to do? You can tell him no, you know that."

Sora hadn't offered me the choice to go with him, but we both knew he would, and would try to persuade me to go with him. "Yes. But I don't know if I should." Last time, there had been a definite tug to go with him, a need to help him out. Now? I wasn't sure what I felt.

"Why not?"

Aerith had a tendency to psychoanalyze, and whether she meant to or not, I could never tell. Mind, this is the woman who was just encouraging me to turn him down. "I'm not… sure."

She patted my shoulder. "This is something you really should think about. Something serious is going to happen, Demyx." She stood up. "Why don't you sleep on it, though? It's late, and you could really use the rest."

Everyone kept saying that. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize."

I walked with her out of the church. The thought weighed heavily on me. Xemnas was, possibly… back. But it was _one_ Heartless… none of us really had a clue what was going on. Maybe we were just overreacting.

"Oh, hey," Aerith said. "What are you going here?"

It was Yuffie. She looked beyond our friend and towards me. "Demyx, I swear I…"

"I know it had nothing to do with you," I told her, smiling weakly. I reached out and took her hand. "Let's go home." I turned. "Hey, Aerith… are you going to be all right? In case they're…" I trailed off.

She rolled her eyes. "Just because I'm a healer doesn't mean I can't defend myself. You know that best of all, Demyx."

I nodded.

"Say hi to Zack for us," Yuffie added, sounding less cheerful than she wanted to.

Aerith beamed and set off down the street.

It really was night now. We didn't speak as we walked down the road. Yuffie was waiting for me to say something first, I realized. "I… I'm confused."

"Me, too," she said softly. "I… I had no idea."

"Trust me… me neither."

"Demyx…" Yuffie sighed. "I'm so sorry this all had to happen."

"Why are you apologizing?"

"I… I don't know."

"It might not me… a necessarily bad thing. We're not sure what's going on with the darkness, yes… hopefully this is all a misunderstanding."

Yuffie exhaled, like she'd been holding her breath.

"…I couldn't even convince myself with that one," I murmured. "But really, I… I could be of help to Sora. Especially because…"

"He's your Master," she nearly whispered. "Don't be afraid to say it."

"I'm kind of shocked, to be honest. This wasn't the way I expected my day to turn out at all."

She chuckled. "Me neither."

"But I'm not the type of person to… fight. I heal. I'm a musician. I don't know how this is going to work. I just hope I don't lose the ability to summon my sitar."

"That would suck."

I smiled a little bit. "So how was your day?"

She laughed dryly. "Taught some brats how to kick ass. But I do that every day." When she wasn't at school, she worked in a dojo. "…What are you going to say to Axel?"

"If he knew all this time…" I sighed. "That's not some little secret."

"At least he was doing it to protect you."

"Maybe, maybe not. I could have been training all this time. I would have been able to take care of that… Heartless."

She stood in front of me. "And yet… you're scared."

I shrugged. "Of what, I'm not sure." That was exactly it. Fear of the unknown, and the unknown was heading straight towards me.

"You can't let yourself… be afraid. You've just got to walk right through it. And you know that you've got us." She put her hands on my shoulders. "If you're going with Sora, I'm going with you."

The last time I'd tried to stop her from doing what she wanted, it hadn't been pretty. I knew that, no matter what happened, I'd need Yuffie. "I want you to be there."

She leaned up and kissed me. "Good night. Hopefully things will be better in the morning."

And how wrong she was. 

* * *

><p>My thoughts on this chapter? Lovehate. A lot was accomplished, but the writing wasn't so great in quality.

I'm very surprised, though, at the amound of reviews. I expected (and still expect) them to taper off as the chapters go on, but I'm happy nonetheless.

This chapter is dedicated to _**Wolven24KH,**_ as well as _**TheChel,**_ for drawing those excellent fanarts; they should be linked right under the description of Nocturne's Return: Revamped on my profile.

Thank you _**Zemby, Ranyo Malight, Leixym, littlev123, DJ36521, Wolven24KH, pkmnfan11, IenzosShuggoCharra, TheChel, Ms. Reasoning, Mystical,**_ anonymous reviewer _**epic**_, and Anna for reviewing last chapter.

Next update should come on time next week. :)


	4. Unfortunate

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

Chapter Three  
>Unfortunate<p>

The next day came too soon. The sun was hot in my face; wait, the sun? I hadn't seen it in… weeks.

Still half-asleep, I felt vaguely disoriented. I'd had a weird dream, but what about, I couldn't remember. I sat up and ran a hand through my hair. I had all those usual thoughts… duh, it's morning. I was just trying to remember what I was supposed to do today when the events of yesterday hit me like a sack of bricks.

I looked around the room; it was exactly the same as I'd left it. The sun had gone back behind the clouds.

I exhaled. What would I do now? Did life go on like normal? I still needed to talk to Sora again. I also wanted to talk to the others.

Why had they kept something like this from me? 'Oh, it's not important, but I just found out the other day that Sora bequeathed his Keyblade to you.' I'm sure that would have sounded casual in conversation.

My hair had dried funny from sleeping so soon after showering. At least the blood had washed out of my eye.

And Axel. We lived together, for gods' sake. How could he have forgotten that little fact, when I was supposedly his best friend? I noticed he wasn't home; I would have heard him. But was I mad? I didn't even know.

I stood and trudged across the room, finding clean clothes. Once I was suitably cleaned up, I went straight into the kitchen. Eating was impossible. I settled for a glass of milk, and tried to eat part of an apple.

There was a general feeling of 'well, what now?' This wasn't just all going to come to me. I had to try to speak with the others and find out what I should do next. After I oh-so-politely ask them why they omitted this little fact.

Of course, they would probably claim to have wanted to protect me. That much I knew. We all cared for each other. And to be honest, if I'd ever had the option, I could have gone on living without knowing I was a… wielder? Was that the right word?

But still, I _could_ have been prepared to face that Zexion replica yesterday. He nearly killed me. I was also fully capable of taking care of myself. I didn't need to be protected anymore.

I slumped down on the table. I could have just sat there for a while, procrastinating. What would it have achieved?

I got a jacket and left.

* * *

><p>The day was cold. I could see my breath. I huddled in my jacket, walking along the streets. The people who were out seemed to ask me why I was out here, too. It felt like it was about to snow.<p>

How come I hadn't seen the signs before? How come I hadn't talked to Aerith about the little problem of spring not coming two months ago? How come I hadn't _smelt_ the darkness building in the air? It tasted slick, almost like thunder.

I decided to face my problem, so I could start fixing everyone else's.

I am a Keyblade wielder.

I repeated that sentence to myself, several times. I whispered it, too low for anyone to hear. I sat down on the stone steps of a building and took a breath. Then I kept saying it, and thinking it.

I exhaled shakily and put my face in my hands. My fingertips were cold. I almost wished I had a reason to stay here forever, just sitting and breathing. I felt almost as if I was going to have a meltdown.

How was he so sure? I thought, just because I had a reason to be in denial. How did he _know_ I was his apprentice, or whatever it would be called? I hadn't even summoned the Keyblade. It _hadn't_ come to me in that critical moment of danger. If Axel hadn't conveniently showed up- by the way, why had he been at my school- I would have been dead. Poisoned, or slit to ribbons by that Zexion replica.

I needed to speak to him. To be honest, I was mad. What reason did he have for hiding this information… other than supposedly 'protecting' me? I never got any answers when I asked myself these questions.

I stood up and purposefully set off for Merlin's.

The door was closed, the curtains shut. What time was it? The sun wasn't out, so I didn't know. It couldn't have been so early.

I went to knock on the door; I hesitated, and then changed my mind. I went straight inside.

The room was dark, cold, and empty. I had never seen it so lifeless, and I was in this house at least once a day. The room seemed dusty, like it had been weeks since I'd come in here. It was a silly thought, because Aerith came in here and cleaned every day.

Then I had one of those moments when I started getting paranoid that it _had_ been weeks since I was here. Logically, that was impossible. I physically _felt_ like I'd only overslept a little.

Well, if they weren't here, where were they? It couldn't be that early- the clock on the dresser said 9:17.

Great. Now all my friends were ditching me.

I sat down on a lonely chair. My thoughts were empty, blank. I focused on the ground.

Within a few minutes, Cid came inside, carrying a cup of coffee and his usual armful of books and plans. I helped him set down the load. He closed the door.

"Are you insane? It's freezing outside," he said, going over to the stove in the corner and stroking the coals. He set some water to boil without even thinking about it; Aerith always bugged us to do that.

"Where are Leon and the others?" I asked, warming my hands. This was pretty ridiculous. It was May, and here I was with numb fingertips. Normally I didn't even go numb, it was all part of my powers and my elemental immunities-

Wait.

That aroused even more suspicion. If it were just an unusually cold spring, we'd just get through it. But with the Heartless attack yesterday, and all the weird stuff going on… was this just another thing to add on? Was this cold weather more than an anomaly? (Well, of course, I'd already arrived at that conclusion.) I smoothed a callus on my fingertip. Unless, of course, I was still weak from the darkness I was poisoned with yesterday, which was completely natural.

Sometimes I hated having all that white mage training under my belt. It taught you to think outside the box, how to think logically, how to see things others didn't really see. But more often than not it made me feel like there was too much going on inside my head.

Cid hesitated. He set his things down.

"Where are the others?" I asked again. There was no reason they shouldn't be here. They were always here in the morning.

"In the lab," he said.

"Without you? No one else knows how to work that computer." I crossed my arms.

"They need to… talk about some things. A lot has happened since yesterday."

Gee, I wonder why they forgot to invite me, I thought sourly. I had been as involved as anyone else in the committee; it was unusual for anyone to 'just forget' to tell me where they met. Yuffie wouldn't do that- unless, of course, they 'forgot' about her too.

These were _my friends_. Now that the news was out, why couldn't we talk about what we were going to do next?

I sighed, and then blew air into my palms to warm them. "It's freezing this morning," I muttered without even realizing it. "Why aren't you there, too, Cid?"

"Forgot something," he said lamely, picking through shelf of plans.

"What, was I just supposed to know where to go?" I asked. I didn't want to take everything out on Cid- and to be honest, I wasn't angry, not now, just confused, and I didn't understand why my friends were avoiding me. "Why is everyone avoiding me?"

He shrugged.

The door opened. "Morning, everyone! Isn't it so cold this morning?" Yuffie walked in, cheerful at first. She noticed my crestfallen expression and Cid's tiredness. "Where… where is everyone?"

"The lab…" I said, taking a step forward. I turned towards Cid. "Unless, of course, I won't find anyone when I get there." I sat down on the dais. "What's up, Yuffie?"

She had her hands on her hips. "Why are we so out of the loop?"

"I'd like to know that myself," I whispered. I raised my voice. "Where are the others, really?"

Cid sighed, silently admitting defeat. "In the Bailey. Close to the old construction site."

I blinked. He wasn't lying, not that I could sense. "I'm sorry, Cid. Thanks." I wasn't used to using either of those two phrases in a pair like that. I turned to leave, Yuffie sticking close to me.

"Hey, Demyx?" He called.

I looked over.

"They're not… we… we kept it from you to… protect you, you know?"

I hesitated. There were a lot of things I could say. The first, the obvious, and the clichéd, was that I could protect myself. The second was that I knew they only wanted the best for me, but that this was crossing the line, and it was my choice to make.

Either way, I didn't feel like talking about it. I bobbed my head once, and in a lower voice, told Yuffie we should leave. She followed without a word.

Neither of us said anything as we walked. It was only early morning; the town was just waking up. A woman swept the street in front of her shop. The moogle prepared his stall. Scrooge was -in a disappointed and desperate way- trying to sell people ice cream.

It was late May, for crying out loud. The college semester was out and it was supposed to be getting warm. Radiant Garden wasn't known for its flora, but the flowers here were beautiful for a short time in the year.

And yet, everything remained dark, dank, and miserable.

I decided that as soon as I got this all over with, I had to talk to Aerith about all this- the weather, that is. This wasn't _normal_.

Why was everything happening at once?

"Demyx?" Yuffie asked timidly.

"What is it?"

She stood in front of me. "Well… are you okay?"

I thought a moment. "I'm… confused. But I feel fine."

She half-smiled. "I swear I had nothing to do with this."

"I… know. It's not that big of a deal anymore."

She turned. "Not that big of a _deal_? Demyx, you're a _Keyblade wielder_ now."

"Yes, I know."

Yuffie crossed her arms and frowned. "Well, you might be able to get over it, but I can't. Why didn't they give me the choice whether to tell you or not? There has to be some other reason- some other _real_ reason they didn't include us like this."

"Maybe they don't like us anymore?"

She raised her eyebrow. "Demyx? Are you serious?"

"Hey, I've got low self-esteem. Anything is possible."

Yuffie paused. "What are you going to say to Axel?"

"They only kept this from me to protect me, though I don't see what's so bad about having a Keyblade. I mean, I'm not _happy_, but it isn't some curse and I'm not going to die in a few hours."

"We've been there, okay?"

"Sometimes I feel like I use the word 'I' too much. Me, me, me," I muttered. "What could possibly happen, Yuffie?"

"What do you mean?"

"Sora told me he thinks the darkness is approaching. And maybe I do too… what was that thing I fought? It was a Heartless, but it _looked _human. How much more of those are there?"

She furrowed her eyebrows. "What _would_ we do?" She asked herself. Yuffie looked at me. "Whenever Sora went on a journey, we were just on the sidelines. We helped him with spells and potions and information. But we weren't really an _active_ part… and where the hell was he on the last journey? Why is the committee only just starting to hear about it?"

"I think we're starting to read just a little bit too far into it," I said, smiling wryly. "But I do want to know what he knows."

We walked along in silence for a few moments. "It's so cold," Yuffie murmured, pulling her jacket more tightly around her. "Last year, around this time, the garden near the castle came into bloom. But when I went past it a few days ago… it was still withered, and dead."

I squeezed her hand. Yuffie wasn't usually concerned about these types of things; she was worrying about the town, and I was, too. "I know. It doesn't look good."

"Why did you two do anything before?" She asked me. "You and Aerith. She summoned _Holy_, for gods' sake, and you're not bad yourself. Between the two of you, why couldn't you resolve it?"

"I don't know," I told her honestly, looking away. "It was almost like I… didn't notice it."

Yuffie stopped in her tracks. "Yeah… me neither, really. We all just passed it off like it was no big deal."

We stared each other down for a few seconds. It all only added to my suspicion that this weather had something to do with magic. Especially since my fingers felt so numb… "The sooner we find the others, the better."

She nodded in agreement. "So what are you going to do?" She asked in that soft voice I hated to hear from her. Yuffie was usually so confident, boisterous; hearing her like this made me feel oddly vulnerable.

"I don't know," I repeated. "Maybe the others are talking about emergency situations. Unless they haven't really realized it, like us."

We were now at the entrance to the Bailey. Yuffie grasped my hand with both of hers. "You ready?"

"Yes." All my previous frustration was gone now, leaving nothing behind but confusion… and the desire to work things out.

I saw them before they saw us. Leon, Aerith, and Axel were the only ones there. They were all dressed in warm winter clothing, and were talking in very low voices to one another. I nearly lost my nerve. Yuffie tugged on my arm, and I stumbled.

There was a lull in their conversation. Aerith tapped Leon's shoulder, and the three of them looked over.

"Morning," Yuffie said cheerfully, though there was an almost undetectable edge in her voice. Flushing, I couldn't meet any of their glances.

"Hi," Aerith greeted, though she was a bit off-guard. She was the only one who spoke to us. "How'd you…"

"Cid!" Yuffie replied quickly. She kept the cheeriness in her voice, though I could sense what she was doing. Was she mad? I began to wonder if this really was something to get so worked up about… She tugged me still closer to them. I continued to look, appearing distracted, out of the hole in the wall towards where Villain's Vale used to be. "Just pick right up where you were, I'm sure it's important we hear it too," she snapped.

I pulled my hand away. She was starting to squeeze it in a death grip. I turned completely away from the group. My heart was beating a bit quicker than usual. I focused on the sky. Everything was foggy; a heavy mist hung over everything, making it seem oddly colder and drier. I could see my breath.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Yuffie asked, her tone now low, calm, and indignant. I almost never heard her like this. I closed my eyes, wishing I were anywhere but here… I felt kind of sick all of a sudden… what happened to the confidence I'd had earlier, the confusion? Well, there was still plenty of that… and Yuffie seemed to be taking care of it for me…

"We told you yesterday, it was to protect the two of you," Leon told her, apparently unabashed.

"I've proved to you more than enough times that I am capable of taking care of myself." Yuffie's voice was soft, deadly. It was worse than if she had screamed at him. "And so is he."

"It was our own carelessness." Aerith spoke now. "We felt it wasn't important for Demyx to know… because the darkness seemed at bay. There were no Heartless ever since they killed Xemnas."

I exhaled shakily. Something in the air was making me feel jittery, sick. I put a trembling hand to my mouth, wondering if I'd throw up.

"Besides… the initial decision lay with… Axel."

I finally turned around, my hand still on the stone sill. His bright green eyes met mine. There was an odd expression in them. He didn't seem apologetic; he seemed guarded, fierce. "I received the letter a few months ago." He threw the words at me. "It was addressed solely to me. Sora confided to me everything he must have told you yesterday over the video call. He was unsure of what to do; he knew neither of us very well, but he seemed to think that telling the rest of the committee first was a better idea, and he started with me, because I am your best friend. I decided you didn't need to know at the moment. I felt it would stress you out. You didn't _need_ the Keyblade, after all. And because we were all so busy… it simply slipped my mind."

I blinked several times, wondering what to say. I felt almost offended. Everyone was treating me like I was weaker than I really was. But what offended me most was… why didn't Sora come to _me_ first? It was _me_ he bequeathed the Keyblade to in the first place. The whole situation should have worked in reverse- I should have found out first of all, then decided to tell everyone or not.

I guess I would never understand his motives.

"Still," Yuffie retorted in that same indignant tone, "you should have given _me_ that choice. Demyx and I are the closest."

I looked at Axel now, my head starting to pound. "Why didn't you consider coming straight to me?" My voice was soft. "You know best of all that I could have handled it. I'm not as weak as you all think, mentally… or physically." I remembered, dimly, the poison from two years ago, and if the way it made me act had stuck with them permanently. "But this is all stupid. I know now. I'm okay with it. I'm not sure if I understand anyone's motives right now. There are more pressing matters." I turned back towards the window. I could feel everyone's eyes on my back.

"Demyx, are you okay?" Aerith asked, coming over towards me almost tentatively.

"Actually… I'd like to talk to you about something."

She furrowed her eyebrows for a moment, but I think she knew.

Yuffie squeezed my hand and huddled towards the others. Aerith and I walked just out of earshot.

"What is it, Demyx?" She asked, looking confused. She was bundled for a winter's day, just like the rest of us (except maybe Axel, but he never got cold).

"What's going on here, Aerith?" I asked, feeling almost panicked.

"I told you I already meant to tell you," she said calmly.

Why was she beating around the bush? _Aerith already knew_. "No, it's not about that. Why isn't spring here? Why is it so cold? Why didn't you bring it up to me?"

When she didn't say anything, I plodded on.

"The sky is too _dark_. I don't like this; I don't like it at all. It's late May. It's supposed to be hot. And look at us!" I lifted the corner of her scarf. "Aerith, something is wrong. My fingers went numb this morning; that never happens. And the flowers wilted… damn it," I swore. She blinked and looked at her shoes. "Are you okay? You seem… off."

She shrugged. "I don't know what to make of it," she admitted tentatively.

The words stopped me in my tracks. Like her, I focused glazy eyes on something in the distance.

Aerith didn't… know? As long as I'd known her, she'd always had the answers to anything, especially these crazy, somewhat philosophical problems with darkness and light. She was such a wise presence… to hear she didn't known suddenly made me feel harried, stressed, and even colder than I actually was. "…Oh," I said in a higher-pitched voice than usual.

She put a hand on my shoulder. "Demyx, I've never seen something like this. You would know better than everyone that I don't know everything, and that I can't see the future."

I nodded absently.

"We're just going to have to ride it out." She paused. "This isn't a positive presence here, I know that much… but other than that…" Aerith frowned. "You're not a student anymore, Demyx. You've been certified for four months. It's time you start… taking these matters into your own hands."

I furrowed my eyebrows, feeling somewhat offended. I _had_ thought about it. I was talented with white magic, I knew, but this was Aerith's _life_. For something this serious, of _course_ I would turn to her, my mentor, the one who had summoned Holy.

She noticed my expression quickly. "That's not what I meant," she amended. "It's just that… instead of you relying on me for all the answers… we need to rely on each other. You have to start anticipating these things."

"…Okay."

Aerith turned and gave me one of her small, sad smiles. "I'm going to go to the castle library. Maybe Ansem the Wise has something on this. Meanwhile, can you take care of my work today? I know for a fact that Elizabeth is going to come for something for nausea- she's pregnant and nothing I give her seems to work. And there's something boiling on the stove that needs to be taken off at noon, that blue enamel pot…" She bit her lip. I'd proven I could handle it before. "I'll see you in a few hours."

She walked off, up the path to the castle. I felt a little angry. She told me to start acting on my own, and yet… ordered me to pick up the work I used to do as an apprentice. I took a deep breath.

* * *

><p>The day crawled on painfully. She was right; the pregnant woman did come. I gave her some ginger tea, surprised Aerith didn't think of that already. When I was very little, my mother used to give that to me and it worked instantly; sure enough, Elizabeth left feeling very much herself. And the blue enamel pot got taken off the stove right on schedule.<p>

I sat at her spot at the table, my face buried in my arms. Discordant melodies ran brokenly through my head, giving everything a very ominous feel. I was very anxious. I even made myself some of the ginger tea to try and calm myself down.

Everything remained very mellow until around two in the afternoon. It had been an incredibly boring day for me, even with Yuffie there. Axel had been gone all day; I hadn't been able to speak to him, as I wanted.

At that moment, the door was thrown open. Axel ran in, looking around the room in a panic.

"What's wrong with you?" Yuffie asked teasingly.

Axel's eyes fell on me. "Demyx, you have to come quickly."

A little jolt of adrenaline went through me; I was on my feet in an instant. "What's wrong?"

"It's the castle entrance. I was walking around, and all of a sudden… it just _exploded_. They need you there." His green eyes tried to tell me something else.

With wide eyes, I ran straight into the next room, grabbed a knapsack and started to stuff the things I needed into it- bandages, painkillers, and salves. Yuffie watched me dazedly. When the bag was full, I grabbed her arms, and we ran.

I remembered at the last minute that Aerith had been in the castle.

* * *

><p>Myeneh. I don't know what to say in this AN, other than the stuff that's in almost every chapter.<br>So more stuff happens. And the dramatic cliffhanger is dramatic. No real action though; it's mostly dialogue, blah blah, circular arguments.  
>(You can tell I'm not really into it right now.)<p>

Thank you _**Wolven24KH, pkmnfan11, DJ36521, vildtiger, TheChel, Willowfur, IenzosShuggaCharra, littlev123, Mystical**_, an anonymous reviewer who didn't leave a name, and Anna for reviewing last chapter. As always, much appreciated!

Next update should come on schedule.


	5. A Short Decline

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

***WARNING*: This chapter contains strong descriptions of gore. If you're squeamish, please tread carefully.**

Chapter Four

A Short Decline

There was no room for conscious thought in my mind. The only things I was consciously aware of were my feet hitting the ground and the air passing through my lungs.

To be honest, I never expected something like this to happen, not even when I first started training to be a white mage. Nothing like this had ever happened here; there had never been any fires or mass disasters; thank the gods.

The castle had become something of a tourist attraction these past years, now that it had been restored. I prayed that the cold weather had kept people away, to come and look around on other, warmer days.

Yuffie kept pace with me easily. True, I had never been very strong in the Organization- or ever- but when it came to athletics, I could run very quickly for long periods of time without becoming breathless.

Still, my heart pounded; and it had nothing to do with the exercise. Anxiety was welling up inside of me. It wasn't because I didn't trust my own abilities- I did. I just hated the prospect that someone might very well be dead- multiple people, in fact.

And one of them might be Aerith.

True, she could have still been inside, and I didn't know the true extent of damage- it might have just been the entrance that exploded, or it might have been the castle itself.

Yuffie's breathing was growing more uneven. I slowed myself for her sake, but still kept going.

Finally, finally, we were there. My heart was taking great leaps. We jogged up the flight of stairs, took a dime turn, and went up the other half-flight.

There had been no damage from far away, or so it had seemed, so I hadn't been cautious when it came to getting closer.

My sharp eyes took in the damage.

The grate that covered a massive aqueduct just below the courtyard had ruptured; apparently, whatever had exploded had come upwards, convincing me that it wasn't a bomb, but a living organism. Bits of rusted and painted metal were everywhere; so was soot, bits of wood, and other things of that manner. Several large chunks were ripped out of the castle walls and turrets; it looked bad, but structurally it would hold. The tiny door, with the velvet ropes and bouncer that allowed people in had been completely gouged out; it looked like the thing had tried to tunnel in. I hoped the bouncer was okay.

I saw no people; at least, not immediately. A woman came rushing forward.

"Demyx, thank god you're here. Come on, this way!" She beckoned and took off, through the entrance. Yuffie and I exchanged a quick glance before following her.

I remembered that there used to be long, complicated, and interweaving hallways in here. Now, a single, direct passage had been carved out for us. Yuffie and I both jumped over the crumbling wreckage. The air was dusty; sheetrock and stone was everywhere.

We ended up in the ballroom. Long vacated, usually this destination was a tourist spot, or a wedding venue if someone had a lot of money. Now, however, the heavy, dusty draperies were thrown open, and the hurt were lying out. People who weren't injured were running around, gathering supplies, blankets, and pillows from other rooms in the castle. All in all, there were about two-dozen injured. Yuffie looked around, unsure of what to do. I only allowed myself a second to take it all in before setting to work.

I quickly asked one of the attendants who had the most serious injuries; all of them seemed to be using only Cure. Aerith had always told me that Cure never worked as well as more advanced white magic; still, anything was helpful in this situation.

I tried very hard not to think as I worked; taking away pain, cleaning wounds, piecing together shattered veins and arteries. Yuffie merely watched it all, unable to really help; she hadn't been able to master the Cure spell. She politely offered the attendants her store of potions, but they shooed her off impatiently. Sending me one last almost injured look she turned to walk off. I tried to apologize with my eyes.

I stumbled through the patients. Even my certification practical had been nothing like this. I knew how to heal these types of things in and out, but actually doing it was very emotionally grating. I hated pain; seeing it, experiencing it, it was all the same. I bit my lip and kept the emotions off my face. It didn't help that the others kept asking my advice. True, I was the most learned one there, but they were distracting me. I had no time for this.

All of a sudden, two men came in carrying a makeshift stretcher; on it was a boy. The cloth they had used to carry him was stained red; I left the patient I was working on to a particularly talented trainee and dashed over.

My first thought was utter revolt. I fought the urge to vomit, trying to channel some of my previous confidence. One of the men who had carried the boy looked me over.

"You're the head healer?" he asked in a slight Scottish accent, looking me over.

I nodded. I knew how I looked; young; covered somewhat in blood; also, vaguely terrified. "How long ago did you find him?" I asked, trying to keep my voice even.

"'Round ten minutes ago. We brought him here quickly as we could considering his condition."

I knelt automatically, shouting at one of them to bring me some painkiller for this kid. It wasn't often I prescribed that sort of thing, but seeing him, _looking_ at the look on the poor boy's face- gosh, he was only nine or ten- I knew it had to be incredible.

His entire chest cavity had been ripped open. Skin and bone were easy enough to repair; but I couldn't replace blood, and putting all the fine blood vessels back together would take _time_- something I very obviously didn't have.

I kept myself from hyperventilating as I healed as quickly as I could. I repaired the major arteries and veins first, working my way down, finally to bone. As I pressed my blooded palm against the sternum, trying to piece the shattered thing together, a small hand took mine.

"Thank you," said the voice, and it was the boy.

He was very pale. I did a quick assessment of his vitals. Temperature- around twenty-six degrees Celsius. _Crap_. He'd lost about seventy percent of the blood in his body. His skin was so colorless it was actually yellow- corpselike. Heart rate- forty and dropping.

I curled my hands in my lap. It was too late. His lungs were full of fluid. Try as I could… I could see no way out.

The boy clutched at my hand desperately; I held to. "You tried your best," he said softly.

My eyes were watering. I blinked quickly. "It's not a bad place, the Lifestream," I told him in a whisper. "You'll like it there. I've been. And… you get to…" My words faltered.

The boy said, "I know."

A beat of silence.

"Can you… find my mother… and tell her I love her?"

I nod. The whole room seemed to be watching us.

"My sister, too… she has to take care of our brother…"

"Of course," I murmured.

"What's… your name?"

"Demyx."

"I'm Ichijo." He smiled faintly. "Thank you… for everything."

And then he faded; right before my very eyes. I'd never seen someone die before. His body remained intact- but all the life was gone. The blood on my hands was cold.

Tears rushed to my eyes. I'd never, not in a million years, failed at healing someone…

"What are you doing?" One of the attendants yelled at me. "Why did you let him die?"

There's a law in white magic. There is resurrection, but it is taboo- death will always come and get what it wants in the end. By bringing someone back to life, you're cursing him or her. Aerith told me never to heal someone beyond saving. I hadn't understood it at the moment, but I did now.

"You know how to bring someone back to life! Why didn't you do it? He was a child!" She screamed.

I stood then. "Shut up!" I shrieked back at her, with more hysteria in my voice then I had ever heard. Tears were flowing thick and fast. With a glance at all of them, I ran from the room, down the hall… away.

I left a bloody handprint on the wall.

My heart had an oddly heavy feeling to it. Death was such strange subject matter. There's always guilt when one isn't able to save someone. This was the first patient I had ever lost. That thought repeated in my head, over and over. I slumped against the wall. I had never guessed this would happen… this whole situation. And to think, two days ago, everything was fine, was _normal._

It had all gone to shit when Sora first reached out to me.

I didn't know if that had to do with anything, but at that moment I was glad to take me feelings out on something.

But once I calmed down some, questions came to mind. What had attacked this place, as something had to have? That sort of damage didn't just occur on its own. And why had I run away? There were still people to tend to…

I leaned my head against the wall. It was cool in here. I could imagine what I looked like. Despite the fact that it still had to be early afternoon… I was more worn out than I had been in a long time.

All of a sudden, I heard a shriek coming from down the hallway. Automatically, I stood… what could it be? I thought there was no sign of the thing that did all this…  
>It took me half a second to realize it was Yuffie who screamed. I turned and ran in the direction of the sound.<p>

I took one quick glance at my arms- red from fingertip to elbow. I winced and washed the blood off, though I really shouldn't have bothered. They still looked stained anyway.

I ploughed straight into the room, stumbling a little in surprise when my body failed to realize that what was once a wall was now a doorway, thanks to the monster.

It was the big library. I glanced around quickly, not really seeing anything at first.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw red on the green stone. Darting past the bookshelf quickly, I turned and saw, by the main desk and staircase, the trail of red thicken.

And, at the thickest, reddest part, sat Yuffie and Aerith.

Of course I knew there was something wrong with the picture. As I took it in, trying to comprehend my own shock and horror, I realized that the source of blood was Aerith- Yuffie had no open wounds, though she was soaked enough to be. That was a small relief, until I realized she was murmuring to the corpse of her friend.

I couldn't understand what she was saying. I couldn't move, either; I felt cemented to the ground, unable to blink or breathe. I resisted the urge to be sick.

Aerith's head was in her lap. My mentor seemed to have all her limbs in the right place, though she was bleeding as if they weren't. Like the boy, she had a gaping hole in her chest.

That seemed to snap me out of my numb state. I went to run over, but I slipped in the blood and fell. Crawling the rest of the way, I turned to Yuffie.

Words failed to come to me. I opened my mouth, first to say something comforting, then to ask her when she'd found Aerith, but I lost the ability. Closing my mouth again, looking away from her horrorstruck eyes, I turned to our friend.

The damage was just as extensive. I worked as quickly as I could, my heart beating erratically. The whole time, I couldn't help but remember… with a flash… what happened when my aunt violently committed suicide so long ago, back when I was Myde. I swallowed, not really seeing Aerith's wound, seeing more the blood on the floorboards of my old home, the knife, and the white bathroom stained red.

The light that cut through the stained glass windows _hurt_. It was cold in here, too- the windows were shattered, I realized. The monster must have flown through it.

Aerith's breathing steadied; her heartbeat was strong. She seemed to have lost a lot of blood, but it was only thirty or forty percent; bodily, she would survive. I healed the skin as best I could, but it had just been torn away in places and would have to heal on its own. Regenerative magic only worked so well in these situations.

And I had no bandages or sutures. I hadn't grabbed anything when I ran out. I slipped off my jacket and pulled my shirt off. It would have to do for now.

Yuffie didn't say a single word the entire time, even the dazed murmurings from a few moments ago. Once Aerith was healed and bandaged, I pulled my jacket back on, shivering from the cold. I could see my breath. We would have to move Aerith soon; it was too cold in here for her to heal safely.

Only then, once the initial threat was past, did I truly realize what was wrong.

Aerith was breathing; her heart was beating; she was alive. However, when I held a hand just above her face, the energy field surrounding her was gone.

Her soul had gone. Disappeared, vanished; it didn't matter; it wasn't in her body anymore. You could live without a soul, yes; but you'd just Sleep all eternity, unable to think or feel, essentially in a coma.

Then I really was sick, in the nearest potted plant.

My reaction seemed to bring Yuffie out of her traumatized silence. She came over and put a hand on my back. I retched dryly, glad that I'd only had an apple and some milk over the past few hours.

We were both trembling, from cold and exposure. Yuffie didn't have to speak. Her manner said everything.

"It's gone," I whispered. "I don't know how or why. But it's gone." And I knew, without a doubt, that the monster had taken her soul. Why hadn't it grabbed her heart, too? Was it a Heartless? Was it something else, similar in manner but much more dangerous?

"What is?" Yuffie asked in an unusually soft voice, one I was accustomed to hearing from her only when she was sick.

I wiped my mouth on my sleeve. "Her soul. That thing. …It took it…"

Frozen again, Yuffie merely contemplated the closest bookshelf.

I went over to Aerith. "We've got to move her. It's too cold here. She could get hypothermia much more easily with the loss of blood."

I took Yuffie's cold, damp hands in mine and pulled her up. She seemed to be made of wood. I pulled her gently over to Aerith.

"Will you help me?"

She seemed unable to comprehend the words. I reached down and picked Aerith up. She was lighter than I expected.

"Come on," I said weakly to Yuffie, who followed, shuffling oddly.

Once we were back in the warm ballroom, I laid our friend down and went back to healing as if I'd never left. Yuffie followed me numbly. It only took me a half an hour to finish, and I led my girlfriend out of the castle.

Security was, very feebly, trying to keep back a mob of people who had either seen the beast attack, or wanted to know what was going on. We slipped away, back through town, drawing glances because of our appearances. I kept a firm grip on her hands. What was I supposed to say?

The people who saw us seemed to know we'd been apart of the situation. However, they knew I was Aerith's student, and must have assumed that I was trying to help, because no one asked, "Hey, why are you two covered in blood?" News spread quickly in our little town.

We finally got to the apartment after being told off by the doorman for being so messy (who was quickly pacified when I told him where to shove it). I unlocked the door with trembling fingers.

Both of us took showers, and I threw out the bloody clothes. Finally, me in pajamas and Yuffie in some old sweats, we curled together under blankets.

"What's going to happen to her?" She asked me in that same soft voice. "What do we… what do we do?"

"Her _body_ is alive. But I don't know where her soul went. That monster could have it. She could have chosen to go on. I don't really understand…"

She looked at me, eyes full of hurt.

"She might as well be… dead. If we can't get her soul back… she will never be _Aerith_ again."

"I'll get her soul back," Yuffie said quietly. "I'll kill that monster."

I didn't say anything.

"…What are we going to tell Zack?" She murmured into my chest.

That's right. Zack was Aerith's fiancé. "The truth, I guess." That was going to be difficult. There had been tough conversations with patients before, sure, but most consisted of pregnancy- more often than not a good thing- and cancer- easily treatable.

I'd never realized just how fragile my world was.

"I don't know what I'd do if the same thing happened to you," I told her.

We stayed like that for a long time, holding each other. I knew that soon I'd have to go to Merlin's. I'd have to tell Leon and Cid what happened. I'd have to find Zack and tell him his future wife was in a coma; doubtless she'd ever some out of it. Right now, it seemed so easy just to sit on this couch forever, especially considering what happened to her, my mentor. I felt as if a hole had been torn out of my heart.

I knew that she would try to survive, given the circumstances. But there was just so much we _didn't know_ that she might as well be dead. She was pretty much the center of our group- the voice of reasoning. She kept us grounded. My eyes burned, and I swiped at the tears.

Yuffie squeezed my hand tightly. "It's okay. Don't give up hope yet. We just need to know what's going on." This from the one who had to be led home not more than an hour earlier. But that was Yuffie- always looking out for everyone else, always trying to be cheerful.

We sat in silence for a couple more moments, me occasionally rubbing at my eyes, Yuffie politely not acknowledging that fact, so when I saw a tear or two on her face, I didn't say anything either.

"What happened to Axel?" Yuffie finally asked. "He told us what happened… is he in town?"

"Maybe he spoke to Leon about it." Then again, thinking about it, I was surprised I hadn't run into either of them. I think this classified as an emergency, and the Committee had always helped take care of this town. We were the closest thing to a government, all six of us (eight if you counted Xigbar and Luxord, but they were hardly ever there. I just hadn't spent much time with them at all, between being so busy and the fact that they seemed to disappear all the time). "…We really can't just sit here for much longer."

She spoke my thoughts. "…I wish we could. I don't think I can go out there."

I took her shoulders. "Hey, it's okay. You're strong, Yuffie. What happened to braving everything with a smiling face?"

She frowned. "That was before my best friend got her soul sucked out of her."

"…True."

"Either way… we have to go."

She nodded, and we got ready to leave.

* * *

><p>Still more silence accompanied us as we walked the familiar road to Merlin's. There must have been a rut worn in the road, we had went there and back so many times over these past two years- at least once or twice a day. But we had never gone there with these circumstances lingering over us; the closest comparison I could think of was the invasion just before Sora defeated Xemnas, and how we had all been convinced we were going to die.<p>

This moment felt very much like that. Yuffie tightened her grip on my hand.

"You should go get her," she said in an odd tone of voice. "After we talk to them, I mean. You should bring her here."

I nodded once. I wondered why I hadn't before. I just hadn't been thinking, I guess.

"…Where did it go, you think?" She asked. "The monster?"

"Who knows?"

"And what do you think it was looking for? Ansem the Wise was an important man. Maybe it had something to do with him… and I still don't understand why it took Aerith's soul."

My heart gave a little jolt. I'd come to associate Ansem the Wise with Xemnas; they had, after all, been connected when they were both alive. But I'd met Ansem the Wise, and he and Xemnas couldn't be more different.

Still, I saw her point. What was it doing, simply destroying? But the fact that it had destroyed the castle rather than, say, any other structure in town did imply something.

But what? I seriously wasn't in the mood for this. If anything, I kind of wanted to cry some more, between losing that young boy and potentially losing Aerith. If I didn't think about it, no one would.

_If_ Xemnas was alive… somehow… then that monster was likely under his control, or Maleficent's, the dark witch who was Sora's (somewhat pitiful) enemy, who controlled Heartless. Unless there was a third figure I had to worry about?

I wanted to tell myself that none of this didn't have anything to do with me, and the people I loved, but it did, because now I was- most likely irreversibly- tied to Sora.

This was all happening too quickly. I closed my eyes and sighed, letting Yuffie lead me a few steps.

Axel met us immediately outside the house. "Good, I was just going to come to get you." His voice was clipped, precise, as usual, but there was something in his tone and expression that was new, almost afraid. He raised an eyebrow. "What happened to you?"

"The castle," I said grimly. "I'll tell you about it in a minute. What's happening here?"

Axel frowned. "Everything's in an uproar. We just got the details of what happened. There are no photos, but it sounds like we've never heard of this type of thing. Especially since that Zexion replica found you…" he trailed off, leaving an implication lying there heavily.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "You don't think it was coming for _me_?"

Axel sighed. "Might have been. You're a magnet for trouble."

Yuffie pressed her lips into a thin line. "Where's Squall?"

Axel shook his head. "Off getting Cloud, Luxord, Xigbar, and Zack. I don't know why we need them, but they might come in handy."

"And Cid?"

"…Contacting Sora."

I closed my eyes again for a moment.

"But there's… nothing really we can do," Axel continued. "We can only wait for Sora and the others to arrive."

"Aerith was attacked," Yuffie said softly.

"Oh shit- she was?" Axel's shock kind of surprised me. Normally he was so cool and composed. Once again, I remembered he knew something I didn't- probably many more things. This was the first time I had talked to him since yesterday- when I found out. Now, my anger just seemed stupid, though there was no reason for him to hide this from me.

"Yes. Demyx saved her, but…" she trailed off, wringing her hands uselessly. "It took her. It took her soul." Yuffie's eyes hardened, and she gritted her teeth.

"…Seriously?" Again, with that look of incredulousness.

I nodded. "Yes. Her presence is gone."

"We've got to... I think if we kill it, it'll give the soul back," Yuffie said softly.

"That's not a problem. We've only got to _find it_," Axel said sarcastically. "I think the thing just flew away."

"…And Cid has nothing of the like in the databases?" I asked.

Axel opened his mouth, but it was Yuffie who responded. "No, before the world fell to darkness, there was no history of monsters here," she told me. "And after that, it was only Heartless. I don't understand…"

"We'll figure it out," I said reassuringly.

"…I need to find Squall," Yuffie said. "He has to know. About Aerith."

I started to say something else, but she pulled her hand from mine and ran off.

"…You going to follow her?" Axel asked me.

"No, I don't think so." I stared after her. "She needs to talk to him alone. Aerith is like their sister."

"I thought she was like yours, too." I grimaced at his use of past tense. Truthfully, I _did_ love Aerith. She _was_ like the older sister I never had, and she'd taught me everything she knew about white magic.

But I wasn't part of that old group. I hadn't been there when she, Leon, and Yuffie had all helped raise each other. It was a lame excuse, but I knew that if I were there, I would just be in the way.

_And they're not grieving. She's not even dead yet._

Axel and I went into the house, only to be barraged by yet another surprise.

* * *

><p>So... this chapter... -makes awkward face- I just noticed that the middle part of it was almost an allusion to Final Fantasy VII. You know which bit. That was entirely a subconscious coincidence. XD<br>And, oh my gosh, I feel really terrible for writing it. The description really _was_ over the top there. I doubt it, but if it ever happens again, I will put warnings like I did at the top of this chapter. I also got the distinct feeling that I'm writing something that's so non-canon it hurts. Ouch.

As you (probably don't) know, Nocturne's Return is celebrating its second birthday this Monday. I just can't believe it; time really flies. To celebrate my most popular fanfiction, I'm going to be drawing a fanart, and putting a video together. Consider it overkill if you must, but I'm just so glad I finished the story in the first place, given my track record. And for that video, I'll be needing questions from you guys- is there anything you want to know about this story at all? Good? Bad? Critique?

And if I haven't said so before, I drew two of the six outfit designs that are going to be used in this story- Demyx and Yuffie's. They're on my deviantART profile, under  
><strong>Princess-of-Rose<strong>. I'll link them tonight in my profile, and I'll be posting the video on Monday under my Youtube channel** animekitten789.**

(Wow, look at all this self-endorsement. It's pretty pathetic. XD)

Thank you very much to _**Leixym, littlev123, TheChel, Willowfur, pkmnfan11, SoraIsMyHomeboy, IenzosShuggoCharra, Loveless1018,**_ and Anna for reviewing last chapter. You have no idea how much I appreciate your following, especially after two years.

Next update: October 13th


	6. Worldturner

Disclaimer: No own, no own.

Chapter Five  
>Worldturner<p>

In front of Axel and I were the pixies. I sighed, really not wanting to deal with them at this point in time. The pixies were uncommonly annoying.

Well, it was like this; there were three of them, Yuna, Rikku, and Paine. The first two were bubbly, cheerful, and mischievous. The latter was a sort of dramatic foil to them; she acted as an odd sort of conscience, always making unnecessary sarcastic remarks. We had no idea where they really came from; they wouldn't tell us. We did, however, know that they had once worked for the dark witch Maleficent, but Donald had bribed them onto our side.

Speaking of which, I hadn't heard a single peep about either him or Goofy. I wondered how they were, even though the former disliked me.

Back on the pixies- if they liked you or hated you, it didn't matter, they constantly bothered you anyway; throwing things, showing up when they were the last beings you wanted to see, making snide remarks, messing up concentration. Despite being kind-hearted beings… I found them hard to warm to. We all did. No one knew how to control them.

But to my surprise, again, they weren't here to torment us, as usual.

"We heard," Yuna said softly, floating over. Rikku followed, her head hanging low. "Aerith, was it?"

"She's not dead," I told them, meaning to sound reassuring, but I only sounded tired.

"But she might as well be," Paine said.

I blinked. "How do you know? I only told Yuffie."

"We were there," Yuna continued, unabashed.

"Do you know anything about the monster?" Axel asked quickly.

"Well, it's nothing of Maleficent's creation," Paine informed us. "We know that a little too well."

Rikku nodded sadly. "Yeah, even she wouldn't create something that evil. She wants to conquer hearts, not souls. I don't get it," she said to her friends.

"None of us do," I murmured. "But… you saw this thing. What does it look like?"

Rikku shuddered. "Please don't ask me."

I pursed my lips.

Yuna merely sighed. "I don't think it's important," she said softly. "I don't think it's coming back."

"Cid will want to know. Actually, it's pretty important, if anything else like it shows up," Axel said calmly. He could use all the charm he wanted; the pixies hated him. They had something against men. I didn't want to push the subject, when it came to them.

Yuna hesitated. "You should hope it doesn't come back," she said simply.

"If you're not going to tell us anything, then why are you here?"

"We… we wanted to see Sora," Rikku murmured. "We know he's coming soon."

I sat on the dais, feeling burnt out. "Cid was trying to get in touch with him… but I don't know anything more about that. I was at the castle all day."

"…We should… probably go check," Axel said, offering me a small smile.

"…Yeah, you're right." I got up and followed him across the room.

"Wait!" Rikku said quickly. We both turned, but she merely flushed and murmured, "Never mind."

We continued out the door. I realized I was shivering, but doubted it was from the cold, though I _could_ see my own breath.

"…You feeling all right?" Axel asked me. I focused on my shoes. I wanted to just lie down and sleep until it was all over, but doubted such a thing was possible, now that I played such an integral role.

That thing probably _had_ been coming for me. I wasn't sure how I reached that conclusion, but it felt right. But why did it mistake Aerith for me? And why didn't I feel afraid of a soul-sucking monster?

I sat down heavily on a bench. "No," I told him honestly. "I'm not. _Nothing's_ right anymore. I don't understand… everything happened so quickly… and with Aerith gone, it's hard to make sense of it all."

Axel sat besides me. "What do you think will happen to her, d'you think?"

"Her body can live indefinitely, but without the soul, it isn't really _alive_," I told him slowly. "I guess that after a while, her heart will just give out; heart and soul are almost one."

"But what about Nobodies? If you _have_ to have both to really survive, what about them?"

I sighed and tugged at a hole in my jeans. "They're the exception. They always were. The soul is stronger than the heart. It does more, can't really be touched by darkness. Not many people every really know how to get to that part of themselves. That's where we get out elemental powers, and any type of magic. Most of my training with Aerith consisted of that type of thing; getting to that power, and learning to control the energy."

"I'm not sure I follow."

"The energy you have inside is unlimited," I continued. "But it's limited by a physical body. That's why we're all mortal instead of a type of superbeing. The heart also kind of controls that as well; it allows a healthy amount of energy in and out. When a heart is corrupted by darkness, the energy just magnifies, and that's why a person's form changes into a Heartless."

Axel furrowed his eyebrows, trying to keep up. "Okay. …And Nobodies?"

"The strength of their hearts keep that type of thing from happening. The heart just vanishes instead, leaving the form mostly unchanged, along with the soul. And the soul picks up where the heart left off."

"But Aerith. You said her heart would give out."

I pursed my lips. "She's almost a Nobody in her condition," I told him, trying to work it out myself. "The body kind of settles into a coma of some sort, because it lacks the ability to move and _be_ without a soul. And without that energy near it, the heart will weaken, and just die," I finished. "And she will die."

"And what happens then?"

I closed my eyes. "Her soul is already gone; it wouldn't go on to the afterlife. And her body would just decay like normal. But Aerith is strong. She can survive for a long time while we… track down that thing. Hopefully when we kill it, her spirit will just return to her… but it might just go on."

"So she might die either way," Axel summed up.

"Yes." My eyes watered, but I blinked it away quickly. Axel noticed, and instead of teasing, patted me on the back.

"It'll be okay. Everything will turn out fine."

I looked at him. "How do you know that?"

"Well, Sora's coming. He might not have all the answers, but things just tend to fall into place when he's around. He can help you."

Again, I remembered how I felt earlier. "Axel. How come you never told me?"

He took his hand from my shoulder. "Demyx…"

"I could understand if it had only been a few days… but it's been months." I shook my head. "This isn't something trivial. If you hadn't been there in time yesterday, that Zexion replica would have killed me. But if I had known, I would have been able to train, and protect myself."

"I never expected the Heartless to come back," he told me. "Everything was fine. I felt like you didn't need to know. And _why_ are you accepting this? Why would you _want_ to be a Keyblade wielder?"

Slightly taken aback, my words sounded a bit weaker. "I _don't_," I told him. "But it's too late now. I've accepted it. This is a part of me now, and I have to learn to control it. Still, Axel… why? You know I can take care of myself."

Axel just looked frustrated. "If you have anyone to blame, blame Sora. He told me to keep it from you, to make the decision for you. He, too, felt like it wasn't necessary to involve you in this type of situation. He said that if you knew, and learned to use the Keyblade, you'd be an even bigger beacon for Heartless. Especially since…" he trailed off, obviously having revealed more than he wanted.

"Especially since what?" I asked, my voice low and deadly.

"Especially since he wants you already."

It took me a moment to figure it out, but I got it. I stared up at the sky. "You mean…"

"I didn't want to believe it myself. But it's true. He's out there. All the signs are in place."

I'd known. Twice I'd talked about it. But why was the news having impact only now? "How? How is he alive? Sora killed him. I was there. I saw him die, Axel." My breathing was edging towards hyperventilation. "And why does he want me? Is it because of that stupid thing where I didn't tell him to become human? Because I would think that something like that wouldn't matter to him."

"…There has to be some reason we don't know of yet."

I clutched my arms. I felt like I was going to faint. "I thought it was all over."

"I think…" Axel started. "I think I know why."

I looked towards him, hoping I didn't look as stricken as I felt. "What?"

"…You said you worked with Aerith on accessing your inner energy, right? And wouldn't that make you so much more powerful? He would want to know something like that; that's a secret he would kill for. Not to mention, you're a Keyblade wielder now; your power will skyrocket along with that, too. And add in your heart of light… you're pretty much the most powerful thing there is, aside from him. He wants to know what you know. He wants that type of power."

I stuck my head in my knees. "…I understand now," I whispered.

He rubbed my back. For a long moment, I sat, unable to move or really think. But it did all make sense.

"And then he'll kill me," I murmured. "He'll find out what he wants to know, and he'll kill me. Like last time." I unfolded. "But how did he find out that I was studying white magic, and how white magic can do that type of thing?"

Axel shrugged. "I have no idea, honestly. Maybe… from whatever limbo he was in… he could watch the world. Maybe he chose to watch you out of vengeance, and on a lucky day, that's what he saw. I don't know."

I stared ahead, feeling nauseous.

"You still with me?"

I nodded numbly.

"Come on. Let's go get Aerith. Then we have to talk to Zack." His voice was low, soothing, unlike the way it usually was- so I had to have looked much worse than I thought. "Can you do that? Or do you want me to?"

"I can do it," I murmured.

Thinking back on it later, I would never remember the walk from Merlin's to the castle.

* * *

><p>The situation seemed to have hit a plateau, at least for a short while. The rest of my day, it seemed, was spent trying to get everything under control along with everything else. Leon, Yuffie, and Cid had just vanished; whether they were grieving or not was unknown. I would gladly have joined them, but every time I went to leave, Axel always managed to scrounge something up for me to do.<p>

In part, I was angry with him, I really was. She was- _is_- my friend too. In fact, aside from Yuffie and Zack, I was closest to her.

It seemed like so few tasks took up so much time. There wasn't much we could do when it came to what happened; the immediate threat was gone at the moment. All we could do was survey the damage. It would take months, if not years, to fix the castle.

By now I was at Yuffie's. Aerith was in her room, lying on her bed as if napping. I was alone, but I wasn't going back yet. Axel wasn't whom I wanted to see at the moment.

I wanted to go to Yuffie. She had to be hurting. But she, Leon, and Cid were off somewhere… for the first time since I came here, I felt ostracized.

At the moment, I blamed it on Axel. I wasn't sure why. He was the one who told them to keep this secret from me, which suddenly caused everyone to think I was weak, I guess. Two months and I never suspected a thing. I can't believe it; but then again, how would I? The letter had presumably been destroyed; Yuffie'd had no knowledge of any of it.

And Sora… I seemed to ask myself the question over and over again. What was it about me that made me unapproachable?

I sat down at the old piano. It had been a bit better loved since I'd settled here, back in tune and clean. I rested my head on my arms, the keys making a grotesque sound. I ignored it.

I closed my eyes. When would she be back? Was it right to call her? We all had cell phones; communication with one another was necessary when it came to this kind of work.

I took my phone out of my pocket, examining the silver front, which was slightly battered where it had been dropped. I flipped it open and looked at the keypad for a long moment, thumb hesitating over the 'contacts' button. I decided against it and put the phone away, only to repeat this process several times.

I sat up instead, fingers resting on the white keys. Finally, after a moment's thought, I started to play.

Via Purifico. It was the only piece I had really retained since becoming human again. I remembered others, of course, but none of my Nobody compositions had ever seemed… wholesome. They had all been empty… shapeless… and the music had showed it.

This song also expressed that, but on a much darker level… there was real sadness in it, almost a sort of paranoia and anxiety. Very subtly so. The song spilled from my fingertips, and unlike any other time I really played, there was no sensation of nothing else mattering. I was trapped in the present.

I ended the song softly, my fingers curled in my lap.

"Demyx?" A voice asked, very softly, from behind me. I turned; it was Yuffie. "What are you doing here?"'

I half-smiled. "Waiting for you."

She obviously hadn't counted on my appearance. Her eyes were red; no puffiness, so she couldn't have cried, but they were bloodshot, tired. She blinked and set her jacket aside.

"Where were you?" I asked softly. "I wanted to find you… but it seemed wrong for me to just show up."

"We were all by the crystal fissures," she told me, sitting on the couch and examining her shoes. "Just talking… about the possibilities."

"I'm sorry, Yuffie. That's what happened. I did everything I could."

"…I know you did."

I walked over and hugged her. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so, sorry."

She buried her head in my chest. "I'm going to kill it," she told me. "I don't care what happens. I will find that monster, and I'll kill it. I don't care if it won't save her."

I held her for a long time. Again, that silence hung over both of us.

"Cid said he talked to Sora," she informed me, sounding tired. "Sora said he'd leave… as soon as he could get supplies together."

I tensed.

"He needs to train you. We all need to train- you, Axel, and I. We don't know what's ahead of us."

"You? Axel?" I loved both of them but I didn't want them involved any more than was necessary.

She gripped my shirt. "You told me before Xemnas was killed that you wouldn't leave me behind again."

"But Yuffie, the stakes are so much higher. It isn't just Heartless anymore. This is even more lethal."

"I don't care. Demyx, you're not going to do this alone. You need help, and support. And I don't think you're going to find much in Sora."

I hugged her more tightly. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

And then we kissed, long and slow and deep, and for a few seconds, it was easy to forget everything. The sight of so much blood, the fact that Xemnas was out there, and obviously going for only _me_, the knowledge that the soul-taking monster would inevitably come back, it all just faded.

Until someone knocked on the door, shattering the illusion that things would just go on like normal.

Yuffie smiled and squeezed my hand, and then went to answer the door. Her loud and resounding "Hi, Zack!" was enough of a warning for me.

"Hey, Yuffie." I heard him clearly from the foyer; having the senses of a Nobody did truly come in handy. "I just got back from out of town… what's going on?"

"It's… complicated," she finished weakly. Despite the fact that people often remarked we were alike, we really weren't. But I hear my own weakness in her words. "Demyx… Demyx has to talk to you."

Zack Fair appeared around the corner. He, also, looked more or less the same. Same spiky hair, same scar on his cheek; he wore the same clothes, too; a black uniform that he told me was once part of an army. He said he hated it, but couldn't find anything better to wear. Personally, I doubted this; I think he thought his military past was something to be proud of. At least he had stopped carrying his sword around. "Hey, man. What is it?"

I guess he noticed my change of expression, because his smile slipped.

"…D-does it have to do with Aerith?" He asked desperately. "Where is she? Is she okay?"

"Zack…" I trailed off. If I knew anything about him, he loved her so incredibly hard.

"I'll just go," Yuffie said quickly, and left the small house.

"What is it? What happened?" His questions were quick, fevered. "What happened to her?"

"There was… an attack on the town today," I began, unable to meet his eyes. "Some kind of monster… we don't know what yet. It only happened a few hours ago.

"You know how it's been stormy, right? Stormy and cold? Aerith was in the library… she was looking up something. I don't know what."

"And it attacked her," Zack continued. "Ugh! Stupid, stupid! I knew I never should have left!"

"It's not your fault," I told him. "You couldn't have had any idea."

"But what happened to her? She's not…" He paled.

"No. Not yet."

"_Not yet_?" He grabbed the front of my shirt. "What does that mean?"

"Her soul is gone. The monster took her soul."

He let go of me immediately out of shock. I stepped back. I knew I would be wasting my breath if I gave him the same in-depth explanation that I gave Axel- Zack just wouldn't be able to understand, not out of stupidity, but to be quite frank, lack of concentration- but he knew the barest gist. He understood just how important the soul was.

"…What can we… what can we do?" He asked me, near tears.

"Hopefully, if we kill the monster, it will release her soul, and she'll go back to normal. But her spirit might just go on… and her body will die."

"Where is he?" He asked in that numb voice.

"In her room," I said softly. "I'm sorry, Zack."

"But isn't there some kind of spell, something you can do to get it back?"

I shook my head. "No. I would have done it already."

Looking pained, as if he had just been kicked in the groin, he wandered back to her room.

I watched him go, feeling his pain in an almost acute way. That was another Nobody trait I had retained- the ability to feel the emotions of others, especially when they were strong. Usually, that was an ability I could control; but now, with so much heaviness in the air, I couldn't help but let some of it in.

I couldn't imagine what would happen if Yuffie was in the same situation. I think I'd go insane. Just imagining her, so full of life, motionless and cold, emptied of everything that made her _her_… it made me feel sick.

Speaking of which, Yuffie came back into the room, white as a sheet. "He's here," she whispered. "I just saw him land. Sora's here." 

* * *

><p>So here you go :. This chapter really achieved _absolutely nothing_ aside from that last line, and Demyx's very philosophical explanation to Axel. I would have made the chapter longer, but I think exceeding eight MS Word pages would be a little gratutitous. I promise that things will really start to get a move on in the next chapter.

As for the explanation- these are just an extension of my own thoughts about the whole Nobody situation. It was pretty much battered into our heads in KH2 that a Nobody had no heart, and was instead just body and soul, or as they said, will. As the series has yet to go into the soul of a person, I pretty much had to think on my feet.

But don't worry, this story isn't going to be only about spirituality. There will be some good old-fashioned Heartless too. :)

Extra thanks to _**Leixym, DJ36521, littlev124, TheChel, IenzosShuggoCharra, Mystical, SoraIsMyHomeboy, Loveless108, **_and of course Anna for leaving me a review.

I'm also going to be writing a short drabble for the nineteenth, which is the day I consider to be Demyx's birthday. So please look out for that!

Next update: October 20th


	7. Enmity

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Chapter Six  
>Enmity<p>

"He… he is?" I asked.

She nodded, a little breathless. "It couldn't have been anyone else. We should go down there now."

I hesitated. "…Well, this should be interesting."

Yuffie smiled. "Don't worry," she told me reassuringly. "He'll help us."

If I didn't worry, I thought, no one would. But I took her hand and followed her out the door.

"So how'd Zack take it?" She asked me with a little more discretion.

"About as well as I thought he would," I murmured. "But you can't blame him. That's his _fiancé._ He must be devastated."

"Sora will help us find the monster," she continued faithfully. "We'll all work together and we'll kill it, and everything will go back to normal."

I nodded, and then changed my mind. "But what if… there are more? The darkness is going to break through any second. I don't think that would end anything."

Yuffie bit her lip. "Demyx," she said, putting her hand on my arm. "Would it kill you to be a little more optimistic?"

I understood her hope, even felt some of it myself. But it was a little ridiculous. Yes, Sora was a Keyblade master. Yet I'd witnessed him firsthand. He could work miracles, but at some point he was only human, especially with his method of never planning things out and just plain willing everything to work out.

Axel approached us. "There you are. I was just coming to get you."

"I saw him land," Yuffie said with a tiny nod. "Did you hear what's going on?"

"Not quite yet. I didn't get to speak to him, but Cid and Leon are there, and Cloud is on his way."

"Cloud? Really?" He, too, seemed to be an elusive member of the committee- for all purposes, never really there. I guess it meant a lot to him, what happened to this town.

Axel nodded. "I just got a text from him."

We all walked the few short blocks to Merlin's. Like old times, the door was thrown open. I could faintly hear the chatter going on inside- but rather than cheerful, it was low, urgent.

"Hey, it's okay," Axel told me. "He's going to help us."

"…I know he is. But it just seems like…" I trailed off, feeling my next words were too corny to say out loud. It felt like the second I stepped through that door, everything would change forever, and nothing would ever be the same.

But we were already beyond the point of no return. We'd been there since Sora lent me his Keyblade.

Without any more hesitation, the three of us went inside the house.

It was unusually quiet. Cid was hunched over his computer, as always, typing rapidly. The words were scrolling across the screen so quickly I couldn't see them.

To my surprise, the people tagging alongside Sora weren't Donald or Goofy- instead, Riku and Kairi milled around the room, talking to each other. The changes in them were subtler. Riku's hair was bit longer, but other than his outfit, he looked mostly the same. He wore a black, v-neck t-shirt, dark, baggy jeans, a kind of wrist brace, and a fingerless glove in the other hand. His shoes were standard tennis shoes- black with white laces.

Kairi, too, was only a little different. Her hair was longer, a slightly darker shade of red. She was a little taller, not enough to really be noticeable. She had tight, dark skinny jeans, a peach tank top, and a dark brown sweater. Her hair was in a French braid, and she wore boots. She was pretty, if you liked that kind of thing.

I could see Sora more clearly now that it wasn't all over a video chat. He was actually much taller- his head, minus the hair, reached my eyes. His hair, again, seemed a bit paler, the spikes more toned down. His clothes were more casual, more… normal, for a lack of better word, than his others. He still had his gloves, and both his hands and feet seem more proportionate. He wore a black-and-white checked sweatshirt, jeans like Riku's, and sneakers. A hint of a blue shirt was under his collar. He straightened; he had been standing next to Cid. "Oh, hi," he said casually, as if we saw each other every day. He certainly smiled like Sora, but he seemed so different… not only in appearance, but in overall demure and attitude. Something childish seemed to have hardened in his eyes, the something about him that was fun.

"Hi," I stammered.

"You guys all look well," he said quickly. "I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner. There were some conflicts…" Sora trailed off, looking oddly ashamed, putting a hand to his neck like I'd seen him do before.

"Your parents?" Yuffie asked.

"Well, yes," he managed. "It's been… hard on them. I guess they understand, but to a certain point, I'm still their kid." He frowned, but then he brightened quickly. It seemed more forced than it had last time. "But that's not why I'm here. Cid has been updating me on the town's status… and I admit I've never heard of anything like this." Sora beckoned his friends over. "Riku's never heard of such a thing either… and he knows the types of Heartless pretty well."

"Did he tell you about the Zexion replica?" Axel asked.

Sora nodded. "But that, I think, sounds more like a regular Heartless. Well, regular in the terms that it doesn't take souls." The frown returned. "You guys, I'm so sorry… if I'd known this was going to happen, I would've done something." As is a thought struck him, he swore. "God damn it, it _is_ my fault."

"How?" Kairi asked gently. The way she looked at Sora- with such tenderness- made me immediately realize they were a couple, which made me happy for some reason.

But the happiness quickly withered when Sora took grasped my hand. "I am _so_ sorry," he apologized. "It was a stupid mistake… when I realized it, I panicked, but when I realized how it all sounded, it was too late to take it back. And the darkness… was gone…"

One thing about this new Sora was that he was just as genuine as his old self. "It's all fine," I told him.

"It really isn't," Sora murmured, taking his hand back. "If I'd known, I would have kept you out of this mess. No offense to you, of course. But a Keyblade will only complicate your life… and I can't take it back." He paused, picked up a piece of paper. "…I guess, in a very roundabout way, Aerith wouldn't be in the condition she is if I'd just said something."

"Well, it is too late now," I told him. "What do we do?"

He turned to the three of us and crossed his arms. "I want to find that thing. I just have a feeling it's still here… in this world."

A flash of realization came to mind. "Do you think it's been here for a long time, waiting to attack? Maybe that's what caused all the weather problems… it's the darkness of the thing."

"Maybe," Sora said generously. "I know about as much as you when it comes to this thing. But I want to kill it immediately. I don't like the sound of it at all." He bobbed his head to Kairi and Riku, who nodded in return. "We should start recon."

"Whoa, Sora, way to take charge," Yuffie commented with a slight smile.

"Got to," Sora replied with the same smile. "If I don't, no one else will." He winked and continued partway out the door. "Demyx… you're coming, right? Aren't you good at recon?"

I nodded and blinked. Why didn't he ask Axel to come along? Axel'd had the same recon training I'd had… but I knew Sora wanted to speak to me alone.

As soon as I was alone on the street with him, he strode ahead of me. I couldn't see his face. "We're going to need to start training immediately," Sora informed me. "That was another mistake… you could have had two months' more progress." He sighed. "Have you been doing anything to keep yourself in shape?"

Before I could stop myself, I quipped, "Yes, I'm absolutely fine, how about you?" I paused. "I've been running. Not much else in the physical department. I only need to be _healthy_ for my magic to work properly, not strong." It was a simple truth of magic- the healthier a person's body was, the easier it was for him or her to access their power.

"Right… you're a white mage. That's good, that's good…" he trailed off to himself. "I guess I could have picked worse."

"I'm honored," I said sarcastically. Even though Sora and I were friends, I felt like I was talking to a stranger.

Sora sighed and turned. "Have you summoned the Keyblade at all?"

"No. Only my sitar."

He groaned. "Great."

"Well excuse me."

Sora looked a little flushed. "This is serious."

"I know it is," I replied with an equal amount of force. "Believe me… holding my mentor bleeding in my arms is heavy enough."

Sora blinked. "_Aerith_ was your teacher?"

Gently, I said, "Who else?"

"I'm so sorry," he apologized again. "It's just that… we need to be prepared, as quickly as possible. I have a feeling that we're facing something much bigger than we thought… I don't know what exactly, but I think it's…"

"Xehanort's back," I whispered, the words tasting funny. "We've deduced that much."

Sora looks surprised. "I figured that much too," he told me. "There were never really Heartless on Destiny Islands… but the ones that were there disappeared after his death. Now they're back…"

"Regular Heartless, like Shadows and stuff?" I asked. "That hasn't happened here."

"That might be the work of the soul-taker," Sora explained. "It's all so abstract right now…" He sighed again. "We'll get to the bottom of it, I promise. But first, we need to do recon."

I nodded, though I really didn't see how. There was only so much we could do when it came to tracking. "The best place to check would be the castle," I told him. "That's where it passed through. Maybe it left some kind of trail…" though I doubted it. Wouldn't I have noticed it when I passed through? But then again, my mind had been on other things.

"That's what I was thinking of."

We both walked towards the castle, neither of us really speaking. There wasn't even very much to see- our mission was turning out to be pointless. I was starting to zone out when I heard some footsteps behind us. It was Yuffie.

"Hey," she said. "Can I join you guys?" She sounded casual, but I could see the glint in her eyes. She was not letting this opportunity go.

"Sure, why not," Sora said casually. "We're just heading over to the castle."

"Oh, yeah," I whispered. "I wonder if that boy's mother ever found out."

They both stared at me.

"One of the patients… didn't make it." I closed my eyes for a minute. "I told him I'd find his mom."

Sora opened his mouth, as if to say we didn't have time for this, but merely commented, "What was his name?"

"Ichijo. I don't know his last name."

Yuffie stumbled as if she'd been punched. "You're kidding."

I looked at her. "Did you know him?"

Appearing upset, she murmured. "Yes. He was one of my best students…"

I put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"Was it bad?"

I nodded. "There was nothing I could do."

For a moment, she clutched both hands, as if wondering what to feel. "…I do know where he lives. You are going to talk to his mother, right?"

"Of course. It was his last wish." I paused. "Seeing things like that… it's just too surreal. He was only nine." I pressed my fingers against the cool stone of the wall, trying to ground myself.

"I know what you mean," Sora added softly. "Which is all more motivation to find this thing and take it out."

I nodded. "We need to go to the castle. I don't know what good it'll do us, but it's the best place to start."

Sora agreed. "Maybe there's some type of clue. I doubt it, though."

The three of us walked in a sort of silence, passing into the Bailey and down the stairs. The gates to the castle site had been left open, as always. There was nothing I could outwardly see as different. Finding a flying monster was going to prove to be impossible.

Sora started off to the entrance. I remained where I was for a moment, staring out at the blue crystal. There was an ocean, I knew, but it seemed that much farther off. Even though a hole had been gouged here a little over two years ago, it had never really been repaired, leaving a huge chunk of the wall missing, and a path straight into the crystal maze.

Very faintly, I felt a vibration under my feet. Shifting into recon mode, I took a few steps forward and placed a hand on the wall. I could feel it here, too.

"What's wrong?" Yuffie asked.

I took another handful of steps, and the frequency got stronger… though more… wavery? True, as a musician I was bound to be more sensitive to these things, but it was weird. I furrowed my eyebrows, kneeling, and one palm on the cold ground.

"What are you doing?"

I shushed her quickly, ashamed at my own rudeness, trying to focus. "…Come here," I said after a moment. "Put your hand on the ground."

Yuffie looked at me oddly, but complied.

"Do you feel that?" I asked her. "Something's happening."

She nodded. "The last thing we need is an earthquake."

"No, I don't think that's it. If so, the vibration would be more consistent… this seems to waver in and out… almost like…" With a jolt, I realized that this monster had burst from the ground, at least originally. It had to have been digging, and was now trying to surface again. Was that what was going on? "Shit!" I swore. "Looks like we found what we're looking for!"

"What? What are you talking about?" She looked at me as if I were crazy.

As if on cue, there was a massive shattering sound. From the distance, this… creature burst from the ground.

Even far away, I knew I'd never seen something like this in my life. At first, I thought it was a centipede- any number of legs covered its body. The front was wider than the back, forming an almost… tadpole-like shape. The belly was white, and it had odd, flimsy wings sticking from its back. The whole thing was a dark color, unmarked.

Yuffie gasped. "That has to be it."

And without another word, immediately she set off, down the path. My heart skipped a beat. I set off after her. "Wait, Yuffie! We have to wait for Sora!"

She couldn't hear me. She sought revenge, and to some extent, so did I. But this was reckless- she was strong, but that thing could take souls. I didn't want to fight that thing unless we had Sora on our side.

But I couldn't let her face this on her own.

I followed her, matching her pace perfectly. "Yuffie, what are you doing?"

She didn't say anything, merely sped up. But she wasn't as practiced at running as I was- her face was red from the effort.

She skidded to a stop and raced down another crystalline hallway. We'd explored these fissures with a lot of depth, but still, my knowledge was running out. We'd never gone this far.

The beast had torn up a whole bunch of the stone- chunks of it were everywhere, but there was generally a large clearing. It just hovered in the air, staring into the distance as if… waiting for something.

"Yuffie!" I whisper-yelled, pulling at her hand. "What are you doing? Are you insane!"

"I've got to get my friend's soul back," she hissed. "And if _you_ aren't going to help me, you should leave. Because things are about to get pretty messy."

"There is no way in _hell_ I'm leaving you with this thing," I said quickly. I wanted to add, "It's too much of a risk," but she didn't hear me. She walked into its line of sight.

"Hey, you! Soul-sucker! Look at me; I'm a tasty new soul! Why don't you come out and _try a bite_?" Yuffie whipped her shuriken from her pocket bag, flushed with anger.

It turned. There were no eyes I could see. It focused on her, but kept going until it saw me.

Then I knew. The thing _had_ been after me. I had no explanation of why it got Aerith instead, but it was true. (And the guilt was crushing.) It somehow _sensed_ me, and the massive thing _dove_.

We barely scattered in time to miss its hit. I smelled something awful- its breath, maybe? It was a sort of rotten egg, sulfuric smell.

This thing still had Aerith's soul. Oddly enough, I could _feel_ that in the air. Was it using the essence as energy? If so, by killing it, would we free Aerith's soul? Or would it just disappear, too?

I summoned my sitar. Sad as it was, there really was only one way to figure this out. And I wasn't about to let this thing hurt anyone else.

"Now we're talking," Yuffie quipped. We hadn't fought together in ages, but we'd been a pretty good team. Now that I was stronger… hopefully we'd both get out of this alive.

…And still I was left hoping Sora would show up…

The monster approached us, creeping back, again towards me. God knew I was excellent at aversion, but thing was, _how long_ would I be able to keep going? Could this thing just scoop my soul up any time?

I played a chord, slapping the monster along its side with water. The monster snarled, and once again flew towards me. I tensed, bracing for impact-

But instead, I heard the sound of teeth against metal and saw Yuffie holding it off, away from me.

"What the hell are you doing?" She asked. "Run!"

So I did run, though forward. I grasped her around the waist and pulled her away from it. We both scrambled backwards as the monster stumbled blindly.

"We can't beat it," I murmured.

"Yes, of course we can." She changed her position. "You just need a strategy."

But I couldn't think clearly enough to form one. There was an odd feeling inside me- something like panic and anxiety. I'd faced enemies before, even though they were nothing like this. Yet, I still wasn't very experienced when it came to fighting. And it seemed that in this fight, my magic would only get me so far.

Yuffie threw her skuriken with a deadly sort of accuracy. It hit its target perfectly. The monster let out an earsplitting wail and panicked- it swung its whole tail around as it tried to dislodge the weapon, which was jutting out of its head. I wondered why the thing didn't just die.

All of a sudden, the tail end slammed into me, sending me flying at least ten feet into the hard surface of the wall. My head spun; all the breath had been knocked out of me. I reached for my sitar, only to realize it had been pulled from me, and lay some fifty feet away, though completely undamaged.

Yuffie retaliated with handfuls of ninja stars from her pouch. They ricocheted off the walls, slamming into the beast, leaving long lacerations. It dove for her; expertly, she dodged. I crawled towards my weapon desperately, if so only to hear the music one last time.

My fingers were centimeters from the cool surface of the instrument when something seized me around the waist.

It was the monster's tail. I fought against it, but the grip only tightened, hard as iron.

It smacked me down against the ground. My breath, so recently reacquired, was wrenched from my lungs again, and I felt a rib crack.

Vainly, I struggled. The beast's gaping maw was only a few feet from my face. I knew that, in a few seconds, I would be just as gone as Aerith.

Yuffie raced towards me, her eyes full of panic, but she was across the field; all her stars were scattered across the field; her skuriken was still lodged in the beast's skull.

Instinctively, I jammed my foot against the creature's throat to keep it away from me, but still it pressed forward. My knee bent and slammed into my chest, pulling at my muscles. I tried not to cry out.

I took a deep breath and looked for one last time at the two things I loved most- my sitar, lying abandoned across the field, and Yuffie, still trying to stop the thing.

I felt hot air on my neck, and hoped it would be quick, painless.

But, I guess, submission just didn't sit well with me.

There was a surge of heat, right next to my heart.

Something cold hit my palms- a smooth surface, metallic.

And instead of chewing on my neck, the great monster was chewing on a blade instead.

Without even really thinking about it, I pushed hard on the blade, and the monster jerked back, as if afraid of it. The paralyzing hold on my waist lifted, and instead of landing in a heap in the group as I would have usually done, I stuck the landing, somehow knowing to take my injured leg into consideration.

Yuffie stared at me, awestruck. I healed myself quickly, turning on the spot.

The beast, dazed and unsatisfied, dove for my throat again, only to be twice denied. The resultant blow it received knocked Yuffie's weapon from its skull, albeit covered in a sticky black blood. She grasped her shuriken confidently.

"Now we're talking," she said with a smile. "When it goes for you again, push hard against its mouth and break the teeth. The pain it will be in should be enough of a diversion to go in for the kill."

I nodded, not fully comprehending the situation. I was just on autopilot- I had no idea what I was doing.

The monster snarled and wailed, black blood swimming in its eyes. It caught sight of me and shrieked, then flew down.

I did what Yuffie said and pressed hard on its teeth, finishing the move by kicking off, snapping its front tooth in half. The thing let out another of its earsplitting wails. Again, with that absent sort of awareness, I plunged the blade into a laceration that had been left by Yuffie's stars.

The beast twitched, flailing aimlessly, letting out sounds like sobs. Black blood spattered everywhere, and I was just able to keep it from hitting it.

"You did it! You killed it!" Yuffie cheered after a moment of shock, running over and embracing me. "Aerith's soul will be back now, right?"

The last phrase suddenly snapped me back to awareness. I looked towards the huge thing, dead and fading, and at the blood that was everywhere. I looked at Yuffie, smiling proudly, and to the spot where my sitar used to be.

Finally, I looked towards the blade in my right hand.

Despite the blood, it was easy enough to see. Silver blade, teal hilt. But more than that.

It was identical to Sora's in shape and size. The only difference, aside from color, was the pendant on the chain, a small blue orb.

_Keyblade._ This is what just saved both our lives, and possibly a third.

Before the shock even set in, I collapsed in a dead faint.

* * *

><p>-Troll face- U mad bro?<br>I am actually pretty proud of the battle scene, especially the end, even though the beginning of the chapter isn't the greatest. Honestly, I could have changed the wording of things here and there- now it seems a little rushed, a little poorly explained.

So yeah, Demyx finally summons the Keyblade. -is kicked for being painfully uncanonical- I hope it's pretty easy to imagine, but I'll post a picture of it- as well as Kairi and Riku's outfits- hopefully soon.

I just want to say thank you to _**Wolven24KH, Leixym, DJ36521, Loveless108, littlev123, IenzosShuggoCharra, SoraIsMyHomeboy, **_and Anna for reviewing last chapter. May I have nine reviews for this chapter?

On a completely different tangent, I was playing Epic Mickey and I realized that it is incredibly close to Kingdom Hearts in many aspects.  
>-the main antagonist is a giant, purple-black colored creature with yellow eyes that seeks to destroy the world<br>-People try to steal Mickey's heart... multiple times.  
>-You have two ways to beat the game- using Thinner (which makes you evil; like darkness) or Paint (like light)<br>But Epic Mickey is actually pretty good now that I have the game guide. XD

Next update: October 27th


	8. Guidance

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Chapter Seven  
>Guidance<p>

I woke up to the sound of rain.

I wasn't sure how long it had been, only that I had been nearly jerked to consciousness several times. There was an odd pain in my chest, similar to heartache, but not quite. It was something not yet definite, not yet real.

The sound of the rain was soothing, and I just wanted to fall back asleep. But just as I closed my eyes, a hand fell on my shoulder and brought me back to reality.

"Demyx? You have to wake up."

I blinked, making a quick personal assessment. Everything was in the right place and worked- I stretched. Still, it seemed that something- something important- had changed.

"Is he okay?"

"Seems a little dazed. Give him a minute."

I looked around and sat up slowly, slowly. I was on the couch in Merlin's living room. Everyone was staring at me, Sora with a particular intensity. I groped for words, only to find I had none, but questions exploded like fireworks in my bed.

Was Yuffie okay? Did killing that monster save Aerith after all? Had everything been a dream- had I really saved us by summoning a Keyblade?

The voice I heard was Kairi's. She stared at me, concerned. I cleared my throat, went to say something, but Yuffie crossed the room and took my hand.

"It's all okay," she said, sounding exhausted. That's right- this had all taken place on only one day.

"It's fine, Demyx. Everything is okay- _she's_ okay."

Finally I was able to speak. "Why are you all so cautious? I'm okay." I turned to Yuffie. "So it worked, then? Aerith, her… soul is back?"

"We're not sure," she admitted. "No one… no one knows how to check." She paused. "But I like to think so. She's moved. Zack is with her."

Sora, seeing an opportunity, walked over. "Yuffie told me what happened."

I really didn't feel like talking right them. "I'm sure. But can we talk about it after I see Aerith?"

He blinked, hiding his surprise. "…Sure."

Trembling a little, I stood. Yuffie squeezed my hand still tighter, and Axel walked over, as if to protect me from them.

It was then I noticed that aside from Sora, Riku, and Kairi, the room was empty. At first, I felt a little hurt, but I knew that Aerith's life was more important.

With my friends flanking me, we left and stepped out into the rain.

I didn't mind the dampness; in fact, it seemed to help my weakness a little. Why did I feel so sick? Was it the effects of the monster? Yuffie seemed fine; yet, it thankfully hadn't gotten as close to her.

"You look sick," Axel observed.

"I _feel_ kind of sick," I admitted. "But I'll be okay. I'm sure it's because of how close that thing got to me."

Both of them were tactful enough not to mention what happened. I looked at both of them, from Yuffie's somewhat relieved expression to the rain turning to steam on Axel's skin.

"At least it's getting warmer," Yuffie murmured.

"Oh yeah," I said in a low voice. "It is. Maybe that thing is what was doing it."

"At least it's _gone_," Axel stated. "Though where did it come from?"

"Who knows? The realm of darkness?" I pondered aloud.

"Maybe," Axel allowed, clearly unsatisfied with the answer.

I sighed. "Give me a few hours, and I'll have a nice, long, philosophical version for you. But as soon as we leave Aerith, I'm going home, and to bed. I don't care how early it is."

Axel patted my shoulder. "It's been a long day."

"Tell me about it," Yuffie commented.

The door to her and Aerith's home and been left open- the living room light, on. I strained the water from our clothes before we went inside.

Leon and Cid were on the couch, talking in low voices. Leon stood and glanced at Yuffie and I. "I heard you two killed the creature," he said. His eyes were red, and it was obvious he'd been stressing these past few hours. "What did it… what did it look like?"

"Centipede. Nasty thing," Yuffie told him with a shudder. "It had these… wings."

"You should have left it to Sora," he told her, which was the exact opposite of what I was expecting to hear. "Why would you risk it all and go after it?" He spoke softly, mostly to Yuffie.

"We split up," I told him firmly. "We were looking to find it, then rendezvous with him, and take it out. But it found us first. And it didn't kill us."

"But it could have, easily. Just look what it did to her."

"Yet we handled it just fine." Yuffie gripped my hand. "Demyx and I are a great team. You need to stop underestimating us, especially now."

Leon just appeared tired. "But we can't take any more risks like this, especially after what happened to her."

"But who else would have taken care of it? We're part of the _Restoration Committee-_ we protect and take care of this town. Squall," she whined, and then her face-hardened. "I don't want to have this argument again." With that, she turned and went into Aerith's room. I took one last fleeting glance at all of them before following her.

Inside Aerith's room, Zack was kneeling at her bedside. His face was against the mattress- he had fallen asleep. He clutched her hand between his. I put a hand on his shoulder. "Zack, please wake up."

He jerked a little. "Sorry," he murmured dazedly. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."

I smiled a little. "It's okay."

He blinked, still groggy. "So what happened?"

"We killed that thing," Yuffie told him. "We were all hoping… her soul would come back."

"Is it?" Zack asked me desperately. "Is it there?"

I went around to the other side of the bed. The light coming through the drapes was heavy and pink- the sun was out. I couldn't believe it. Had that really been the thing to change the climate?

I held the back of my hand just above her forehead, as if to check her temperature. My heart gave a little jerk. It had been such a basic, violent solution… but killing it had solved our problems. She was back.

I nodded once in Zack's direction. Yuffie exhaled, falling to her knees from the relief. I, too, felt like a giant weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

"Aerith? Aerith, sweetie? Can you hear me? You can wake up now. It's all safe," he whispered to her.

I heard her stir and breathe in deep. Finally, I heard my mentor's voice- weak and wavery, but definitely there. "Zack?"

"Yes, yes, I'm right here." His bright eyes focused on only her.

"I thought I'd never see you again," she whispered. With a trembling palm, she touched his face.

I flushed. This wasn't a conversation we belonged in the room for.

"Aerith?" Yuffie asked. She went to say something else, but evidentially didn't find many words- and this didn't happen often with her.

Aerith took her friend's hand and squeezed it. "It's okay."

Feeling incredibly awkward, I took one step towards the door. "I'll just leave you three alone."

"Wait, Demyx." It still rubbed me the wrong way at how weak her voice sounded. I turned.

"You have to go back to the library," she told me. "The answers… the answers are there."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "The answers to what?"

"Just go. You need to… you need to find it…" and with that, she fell right back to sleep. Zack smiled at me hopefully. Yuffie looked torn; she wanted to be with me, but she'd come so close to losing her sister figure that she wanted to be reassured Aerith would survive. I have Yuffie a quick kiss and left them all be.

Yes, the fact that she'd nearly died affected me as much as them, maybe even more. In these past years, I'd begun to look up to her, as a role model. She was like our group's surrogate mother. She'd taught me everything she knew when it came to white magic, and even things that weren't on any certification test. She'd even told me that if anything happened to her, Yuffie and I would be keepers of the white and black materia, the former of which had saved us not so long ago.

Then, why did I feel so distant from everyone all of a sudden? I made a note to ask Sora if he ever felt like that- was it because of the Keyblade wielder status?

There had to be time to sift through my thoughts later. Right now, I had to get to the library, as she asked.

Leon, Cid, and Axel waited with bated breath in the living room. Quickly as I could, I told them how she was, and how she had woken up, and that it was best to just let her rest for a while. I hoped she would be the same after all this, but it was doubtless. Would she lose her powers, her confidence? Or would she just spring back, and have another spout of spiritual wisdom to feed me?

I walked right back outside. The temperature had spiked significantly, and even in the light rain, I was sweating. What did she mean, the answers were in the library? Of course they were; it was _a library,_ full of books and knowledge.

Admittedly, if she wanted me to scour books, she should have found someone else. I just didn't have the attention span to really read.

But at the same time I doubted she would want that. Did she mean something more… obvious? I could ask her when she was well again. I really hoped that everything didn't have to be this _cryptic._

Then, for absolutely no reason at all, a tear slipped down my face. I wiped at it and stared at my hand for several moments. Why was I crying? I was reminded of the heartache I felt earlier… it couldn't be mine. It was almost as if… someone was acting through me.

I shook my head dismissively. I was so tired; the stress of the day was just adding up. As soon as I took a quick peek in the library, I'd go home and have the sleep of the dead.

Just as I was leaving to exit the main part of town and go to the castle, I heard a familiar voice.

"You're looking glum."

I turned, breathing a sigh of relief. "Oh, it's only you, Xigbar."

I didn't know how long it had been since I'd actually had a conversation with him, if ever. Truth be, I'd just been so busy- blissfully so, but busy all the same. And true, even though we were all human, it was still kind of awkward between him, Luxord, Axel, and I. We'd never hated each other; in fact, in the Organization, we'd been pretty amicable. But it was such a weird thing to consider… it's nothing words can describe.

I bit my lip. "How've you been? Long time, no see."

Xigbar considered. "Yeah, I'll say," he said darkly.

All in all, Xigbar still _looked_ the same. Same hairstyle, albeit with a bit more black in it, contrary with before, when he was grayer. His scar was less intense, less immediately noticeable, but the eye patch was a giveaway. Speaking of eyes, his were now brown instead of gold; I guess the darkness had retreated when he became human. His ears were also no longer elfish, or pointed.

In the resounding silence, I knew he knew everything that happened. Somehow, he had to have heard. Maybe Leon or someone spoke to him. But did he know about the changes in our group- how Aerith had very nearly died, or that Sora had accidentally chosen me to get his Keyblade power? I opened my mouth, but Xigbar cut me off.

"Don't start it," he said quickly, holding up a finger to silence me. "I don't want to get into your mind-numbing drama. These days are past me. Trust me, if I want a fight, I can find it easily enough on my own. But… things are getting serious, aren't they?"

I nodded.

He sighed. "All right, Dem," he said awkwardly. Oddly enough, he was the only one who called me that. "Just know that… if you ever need our help… Luxord and I are here for you." It was obvious this was incredibly awkward for him to say.

I bobbed my head. "…Thank you."

"I mean… look at history. We might not be close friends… but if it's something involving _him_… you know I'll be right there. I still haven't gotten my revenge."

"…Okay."

Xigbar looked at me funny. "You're much different now, you know. I keep expecting to see the same lazy bastard you used to be. Good you finally grew up."

Kind of rendered speechless, I only half-smiled. Deciding a rapid change of subject was necessary, I said, "Where'd Luxord?"

Xigbar looked relieved. "Oh, you know, off wherever he goes. I've gotten so used to it that I've stopped asking."

But he said nothing more. My feet were itching to move on and I knew that if I didn't, I might fall asleep right on the spot.

"Go," Xigbar said, waving his hand. "I know that you want to."

I smiled apologetically. "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind."

"I'm sure you will."

I walked up the now-familiar path to the library. It now seemed empty, deserted in the fading light. I passed straight through the hole gouged in the wall, down the paths, past the ballroom, finally to the library. I noticed, flinchingly, that the blood was still there, dried brown.

Now where to look?

The whole place was unfamiliar to me, but the sense of peace that stole over me was nice. I glanced around carefully, trying to see clues, but found none. I took a few steps up the stairs. The place was massive. Did she mean for me to read all these books? Yet again, the answers to _what_?

But out of the corner of my eye, I saw a pile of books stacked on a desk on the second floor; one of them was open. I raced up the stairs and over to the desk. Aerith had been here; her sweater was here, in fact. I looked at her book, but I'd seen the same thing hundreds of times- the state-issued white magic guide. My own copy was old and battered. Boring as it was, I knew the thing inside and out. I looked through the other books- all of which, too, I'd seen before, and studied from. I wondered if Aerith's excellent foresight had finally failed us. But no, there had to be a _reason_.

I picked up one book on astrology. I knew the constellations and where they were, but when it came to the branch of white magic concerning it, I knew nothing. That was the one thing I could never pick up. I opened to a page that had been marked. It was on climate change.

_The magicks that effect this world are many and wondrous, but always at such a fragile balance that even the slightest tip in the forces of darkness could destroy it…_

The remainder of the page had been ripped out, very messily so. I set that book aside and picked up another. This one had a much heavier cover; something was lodged in its pages. Raising an eyebrow, I opened it to the page marked with the object.

The item was a key- fairly heavy, old-fashioned, made of very polished silver. It wasn't much longer or wider than a pencil. There was something small engraved on it, but I set it aside for the moment. The heading on the page made my heart skip.

_Soul fusion_

_In an emergency, it is possible to merge part of one's soul with another's- however; it is highly recommended to avoid this as much as possible. Souls are unstable enough as it is, and merging the different characteristics could lead to a fatality if done wrong._

_That aside, soul fusion should only be done with someone who can be trusted. Not only has it been utilized by many dark sorcerers over time to try and gain immortal life, but using a human or animal host is very unreliable- and merging more than the smallest slivers will cause possession at best and soul disintegration at worst._

_However, a step down from soul fusion- the simple trading of energies- is often done as part of agreements, or between close friends, or between lovers._

I dog-eared the page and set it aside, blinking several times. Why had she been looking this up? Was she considering something like this with Zack, for their wedding?

But the key. What was it, and what was its use? I picked it up. The metal never seemed to warm to my hand. I flipped it over and looked at the engraving.

There, on the shaft of the key, were the Roman numerals _VI._ That sounded familiar…

_Six._ V-I. _Six._ This had to be the sixth key in a set.

The next revelation actually forced me to sit down.

This key was found in a library- full of _books. _Six and books equated to me… to equal Zexion.

And his replica I had met not more than a few days ago.

I took long, shallow breaths. Somehow, someway, I knew that these keys meant something. What, I wasn't sure, but I knew automatically that there was thirteen- no, fourteen. One for every member of the Organization.

I curled my knees to my chest. Did the replica place this key in the book, for me to find? Had he been the one to bring the monster here?

All this proof, lying so carefully there, made me know- know for _sure_- that some form of Xemnas really was alive, or at least, his memory had left a trail for me to follow.

I squeezed the key in my fist. It still remained ice cold.

I stood up, feeling sick. I put the key in my pocket, where its coldness reached my skin. With an agonizing slowness, I walked out of the library, and home.

Sleep, albeit troublesome and divided, followed me.

* * *

><p>The following morning Axel woke me up. "Sora wants to see you now," he said unceremoniously.<p>

I blinked groggily. "_Now?_ What time is it?" It was hard to tell in my room, especially with the curtains closed.

"Ten in the morning."

"Um… I just did?" Axel smirked and raised his eyebrows at me.

I ran a hand through my hair. "Right. I'm still kind of half asleep here."

Axel rolled his eyes. "Want me to tell him to give you a minute?"

"Please?" As he left, I called thanks at his back.

Quickly I grabbed at clothes, finding yesterday's jeans and grabbing the key. Still ice cold, I couldn't help but stare at is for a moment.

Oh yes. Sora and I had a lot to talk about. Now that I was fully rested, I felt ready. I got dressed and put the key back in my pocket, not yet wanting Axel to know when I wasn't a hundred percent sure myself. It was definitely worth discussing, especially what I saw in the books.

Grabbing an apple, I left the house and jogged down the stairs. Sora was standing outside, looking around almost warily.

"Sorry to rush you," he apologized. "I didn't know you were still asleep. I said I'd come back later…"

I frowned, now slightly annoyed at Axel.

"So you want to go for a walk? A lot happened yesterday…"

"Yeah, I'll say." I took a bite out of my small breakfast. "So how has everything been?"

Sora paused. "Complicated."

"Care to elaborate?"

"We got back from our last journey only two months ago," he told me. "It was… stressful, to say the least. For a while, I thought it would be the last. But I learned stuff… well, you know. I think it's only the beginning."

I swallowed.

"I learned more about the time I was asleep, and about Castle Oblivion," Sora continued. "And… more about the Organization." He exhaled and sat down. "But none of its fits together yet. We're missing… some pieces."

I sat down beside him. "Xemnas- or Xehanort, or whatever he wants to call himself- he's back, in some form. We had our suspicions… but I think we're right."

"Yen Sid has a theory," Sora began. "He thinks that by defeating Xehanort's Heartless and his Nobody, that we've revived his Somebody. We're not sure how… but it makes sense."

"So he's human?"

"I think, to some extent. He has to be supernatural too, considering what he's done."

"Has he done much more?"

"No. Not yet. But I think he's just warming up." Sora turned to me. "Yuffie said… that the only way you were able to defeat that monster was by summoning the Keyblade."

"Yes."

"So you did."

I bit my lip. "Would she lie?"

He exhaled again. "I was hoping that somehow, my hunch was wrong. I just don't want to get anyone else involved."

I closed my eyes.

"We're going to have to start training as soon as we can. I'm not sure if we're going to have to leave, but it's the best you're prepared anyway. What's wrong?" Sora asked.

"That monster… it wanted me." Things were getting clearer. I knew then why it had hunted Aerith in my place. "It went to Aerith first because we're both practitioners of white magic. I guess it got confused…" That's rigtht... our energies must smell or look simliar, however it found us. The guilt was crushing and I had to put my face in my hands for a moment.

Sora put a hand on my back. "It's not your fault."

"Yes. Yes it is. Now it's always going to be like this- someone gets hurt in my place."

"That's how it is," Sora informed me. "Why do you think I didn't want this for you?"

After a long moment of silence, finally I told him about what I found in the library and showed him the key. Sora took it and examined it from every angle.

"What you're saying makes sense, but what if it really is a coincidence, and someone left this somewhere by accident? But it _is_ cold. Why doesn't it warm up?"

"I don't know. Are the Keyblades made out of the same type of metal?"

"No, not really." He paused. "Can I hold onto it?"

"…Sure?" I couldn't explain my reluctance to give this thing away; logically, I knew Sora would take care of it. Still, my hesitation didn't exactly make me feel any better. In fact, it was proving suspicions that were starting to arise.

He raised an eyebrow. "You okay?"

I nodded, eyes still on the key. Sora put it into his pocket.

"I wonder where Xehanort is right now," he continued. "He has to be alive; this seems like his type of work. Maleficent is just too… below it. She's shown me that she isn't all evil- just selfish. Still, we'll have to watch and see if he doesn't recruit her."

Kairi came running up, then clutched at her chest, out of breath. "I was just looking for you," she said, still breathing heavily. "They're here. The Heartless are here."

* * *

><p>-Stupid anticlimactic cliffy is stupid-<br>Lots of blah blah in this chapter. Personally, I liked it because Aerith returned. But mostly, blah blah.  
>Demyx seems so OOC. Will change within the next few chapters!<br>On another note, I _am_ doing National Novel Writing Month this year, which takes place all throughout November. Basically, you have to write a 50,000 word novel by the end of the month, which averages out to about 2,000 words per day. Which means naturally, I won't have time to breathe or sleep, much less get this fanfic done. So sorry guys, but after this post I won't see any of you until December. No updates, no activity here.  
>My page is <strong>Princess of Rose, <strong>if there are any other Wrimo's out there.

Thank you _**Leixym, Wolven24KH, littlev123, TheChel, Mystical, Loveless1018, **_and Anna for reviewing last chapter. Really appreciate the love! I'd also appreciate nine reviews to get me through a long, hard, NaNoWriMo. :)

See you in December!  
>-Princess of Rose<p> 


	9. Haste

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Chapter Eight

Haste

Sora came at me so quickly I had no time to react. It had been a long day, and an even longer training session. Still, I barely managed to parry his attack in time, saving myself from a concussion. Sora never hit hard enough to really hurt, but he usually always got carried away.

I was out of breath. The sun was high in the sky, beating down on us almost mercilessly. Spring had come at last, and had taken to making up its delay by providing us with endless heat.

"Come on," Sora told me hoarsely. "Just attack me already! Have you learned anything?"

I jumped back, retracting my blade and clutching at a stitch in my chest. "Sora, can we please take a break?"

He paused, as if to tell me the darkness didn't take breaks, but then saw how I looked and relented. "Five minutes," he told me lamely.

I sat down, holding cold handfuls of water to my face and neck. Sora took a swig from his water bottle, staring at me.

Ever since the Heartless showed up, about two weeks ago, Sora had been working me like a dog. We'd started training that afternoon and hadn't let up since. In fact, I'd spent more time with him in two weeks than I had anyone else, even Yuffie.

It had started with long, circular meditation techniques to help me summon the Keyblade out of my own will, instead of only in danger. After I managed that, Sora stepped it up exponentially. He assumed that I was already strong enough to sling around a fifteen-pound metal object like it was nothing. He assumed that I already had endurance to fight longer than for five minutes. He assumed that it was incredibly easy for me to summon the Keyblade after the first try, even though I still had to concentrate like all hell.

And if I slipped up, provided something that was less than perfect, he would criticize me. He helped me, yes, but often with an air of almost superiority.

Just because I had once been part of the Organization didn't mean I was skilled in these things. Yes, I could run, but that was about it when I came to athletics. I preferred magic, which came much more easily to me.

I felt like I hadn't made any progress since we'd even started. The Keyblade still felt heavy and foreign in my hands, and sometimes would even disappear if I weren't trying my absolute best. Times like these, Sora would chime in with a "Come on, Demyx, really?" before helping me up and salving his rudeness with tips.

I missed playing my sitar. I missed having free time, and I missed having a body that wasn't constantly sore.

More importantly, I missed my friends. All this one-on-one time with Sora was irritating. He was nice, yes, but he wasn't Axel. Axel and I had a weird, complex friendship, but it was stronger than anything. And Sora sure as hell wasn't Yuffie.

I lay back on the ground, feeling the cool cobblestones on my back.

"I'm sorry," Sora said suddenly.

I sat up, and blinked, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I know I'm working you too hard. I just keep thinking that it'll all come naturally to you- but I can tell every minute is a struggle. I'd slow down, but I'm not sure how much longer we can afford to train together like this."

I opened my mouth, considering carefully. "You mean… when are you planning to leave?"

"I don't know. We have _absolutely nothing_ to go off of, other than that key. There's just nothing we know about it- are the other ones like it here, or all over, or hidden in one place? Xehanort has to be out there, doing something, but he hasn't made himself known yet. I haven't seen any lasting damage to anywhere but here." He offered me a hand to help me up. "Just fifteen more minutes and I promise we can stop for the day."

I resisted the urge to groan.

"You need to stop being so timid with your offense," he told me. "I know you're afraid of hurting me, but to be honest, I think I'd be happier if you actually landed a blow."

"The average Heartless isn't going to be able to block like you can," I muttered sourly.

Sora heard me and scoffed a little, before looking up at the sky. He dropped his formal posture. "…It looks like it's going to rain," he commented. "Maybe we should stop for the day." And he was right- black clouds covered the sky that had been clear only minutes ago.

Hell yes, I thought quickly, but I said, "You sure?"

"Yeah. Besides, I want to ask Aerith her opinion of the key, because you don't know much about it," he said. "She _did_ tell you to go look in the library, right? So maybe it was she who found it."

"…You think?" But then again, the placement of the key made that much more sense…she must have put it there for a reason… but why soul fusion? Unless she thought Xemnas has fused his soul with someone? Which actually I understood… how else would he be alive? "Hey, Sora?"

"…Yeah?"

"You know how I told you about what I read?"

"The soul fusion?"

"Yeah. You don't think… you don't think that… Xehanort did that?"

Sora paused and then blinked several times, very rapidly. "I'm not sure. I told you about Yen Sid's theory before- his defeated Heartless and Nobody fused to create the whole being again."

"I guess, but still… you'd think he'd need a greater tie to this world…"

Sora put a hand on my shoulder. "Let's go talk to Aerith, okay?"

It started to rain then. That was another thing- ever since spring had come; it was raining often, with little warning. It had been like this the past two years I was here, but never to this extent, never this sporadic. It was also an oddity- while normally I could anticipate storms- part of my power- now I had almost no warning.

Still, it felt nice. The cool water soothed my aching body.

"…Do you still have the key?" I asked casually, as we walked towards the house.

"Yes. I have it with me today."

"I still think it has to mean something," I told him. "Like… I think it's more than just one of a set. It was in a _library_. Zexion- number six in the Organization- read a lot."

"You already told me this," he countered. "Besides… what could these keys possibly do?"

"I don't know. But it can't be a coincidence. Either Aerith put that key there for me to find… or the Zexion replica did. Maybe that's why it was here?" I furrowed my eyebrows.

"I think you're over thinking things," he said honestly.

I stared. "We're going to Aerith for the same reason- to hear her over thought opinion."

"…I guess you're right," he said lamely, blushing. "I'm not… excusing your theory, but…" he trailed off, because he knew he had been.

"I'm telling you, Sora," I said. "There are _fourteen_ of these keys- for the Nobodies. Maybe if we gather them…"

"But who knows where the rest could be?" He asked. "I've already wasted enough time blindly searching. Unless we have proof the key will help us in our journey, I won't leave. Besides, we haven't even begun to consider a journey yet."

"We have to stop Xehanort," I said.

"Yes, but that's a bigger quest than you think."

"_I know what I'm dealing with._" I paused; my voice sounded harsher than I intended. "I fought him, Sora. I was there. I saw what happened to you, and to me." After a moment's deliberation, I added, "He's after me. It won't be long before he shows up."

"Wait, what?" Sora stopped dead in his tracks.

I turned. "The replica was most likely following his orders," I said, "and it came to find me. The soul monster was also his creation- it went straight for me, too."

"Maybe it was just going after the live Organization members," he offered.

"No. Then it would have gotten Axel, or Xigbar, or Luxord."

Sora paused, looking confused. "This is all so abstract. We don't know what he's doing."

"What about everything I just said?"

He definitely looked angry now. "You're just assuming things. You don't know what you're talking about. Demyx…" Sora's voice was pleading now.

My voice turned soft, deadly. "I think I should know Xemnas better than you," I muttered. "This has him written all over it- even if he's technically this _Xehanort_ guy. Just ask Axel. This seems like the kind of thing he does- when one small part of his world is out of place, or imperfect, when one tiny thing is wrong… he'll stop at nothing to get rid of that imperfection." I flinched, remembering what it had been like to be poisoned by him.

"You don't think I'm an imperfection in his world, then? Because he's not here, he's not actively stalking me."

"But he was, wasn't he?"

"Yes. Two months ago. But then why has his focus turned to you?"

"We're bound," I told him. "We're bound in ways I don't even fully understand."

Still, he glared at me. "How?"

"It started a long time ago. He found me when I was younger and cast a charm on me, because I had the qualities he wanted in a servant." That's as much as I believed, anyway.

"This is all too… too… convoluted!" Sora shouted. "It can't be this complicated. He was to want something… something like world domination, or Kingdom Hearts, or… or…"

"Or power," I murmured, looking at my own palm. Hadn't Axel said he'd wanted me for my power? But why? "Let's just go, okay? We don't need to talk about this now."

"I couldn't agree more," he said darkly.

When we got to Yuffie and Aerith's, the door was shut and the curtains were drawn. Ever since her soul returned, Aerith seemed… very drawn away from the others, even Yuffie and Zack, who were closest to her. I understood how an experience like that would shake someone, believe me, I'd been there. There had to be something she knew.

It was probably silly and inconsiderate to go to her then, because asking her about these things could only make her more upset. But Aerith had been going about her duties almost like normal- she tended to wounds and sicknesses like she usually did.

There was something that stuck out to me, though.

Ever since she returned, she hadn't spoken to me, not a single word, other than the hint to go to the library. And she could talk. She spoke to the others just fine. But when I talked to her? Her eyes would focus off of me, onto another object, and she wouldn't speak.

I sighed. Sora knocked at the door.

"I'll be right there," my mentor called to us. "Just come on in."

We did. The cluttered living room looked even smaller, even bleaker. The piano where Yuffie and I usually sat was half-covered by a blanket.

Aerith came into the living room, a blanket draped around her shoulders. "Hi, Sora," she said calmly. "What do you need?"

"I wanted to talk to you about something Demyx found," Sora told her. "In the library." He took the key out of his pocket. "Did you leave this for him to find? What is its function? Is it a normal key? Is it special?" He paused. "I wish I could have come to you earlier."

"It's fine," she said in an exasperated voice, sitting across from us. "But you see, the thing is… I can't remember _what_ I was doing before I was attacked." She set her tea aside. "The memories of that whole day were completely erased."

Sora blinked, his face falling. "So it might not have been you who left it there," he said. "You told Demyx to go look in the library."

She paused, pursing her lips. "I told you, I couldn't remember anything from before I really came back into myself."

"Can you at least tell me what you think of it?"

Aerith took the key into her hands, looking over it, the inscription, feeling the weight. "It definitely has some magical properties- I don't know the spell, but the reason it retains its coldness is to remain indifferent to the darkness- to repel it. Basically, the spell is there to keep darkness from changing the form." She paused. "The Roman numeral must mean it's part of a set. And it was in a library, which makes me think of the sixth member of the Organization, Zexion."

Sora was impatient. "Yes, that's what Demyx thought too."

"…And, assuming these keys _were_ planted by Xehanort, I suppose there were thirteen, and that by putting them all together, you would maybe unlock some sort of secret, or power." Aerith turned the key over and over in her hand. "But I also think… that perhaps the keys were planted by Ansem the Wise. That was his library, after all, and it can't be a coincidence that they were found there."

"…You think?"

She sighed. "Yes, Sora, but the possibilities are endless. If you came to me for concrete answers, I'm sorry, but you're at a loss."

He stood up and she gave the object back to him. "Thank you anyway. I'll try to investigate it further." He beckoned me and left the room.

But I had to know. The whole time, she hadn't glanced once in my direction, seemed indifferent. Something was up. She knew something, something serious.

"Aerith?" I asked tentatively, but she pretended to not hear me; she put her teacup in the sink, took the blanket off her shoulders and folded it.

"Aerith?" I repeated, louder this time. Again, she feigned deafness. I stepped into the kitchen, where she was now rooting through her cabinets. Feeling a little annoyed, I said, "I know you can hear me."

She froze, and for a second I thought I had her, but she was just reading the label of a can on the top shelf. She took it down, went to look for a can opener.

There were a million things I could have said- I could have asked her what was wrong, I could have asked her what she was hiding, I could have asked her why she was ignoring me and neglecting Zack and Yuffie, but instead I said, "God damn it, I saved your life. What happened to you?"

Her head whirled around. Her eyes clouded with tears.

"…Aerith?"

Still remaining silent, she strode quickly out of the room. I followed her closely.

"Something happened to you, I know," I said softly. "What is it? Why don't you want to talk about it?"

She was in her room now. I stood at the doorway, watching her sitting on her bed.

Finally, she spoke. "When… I was taken, it let me see things. The monster."

"See… what things?" My voice was softer now, more concerned. I thought she had forgotten what happened that day."

She bowed her head. Despite being several years older than me, she looked like a little girl. "I _know._ I _know_ what's going on. But I'm so afraid… afraid that if I say something…"

"It'll happen," I finished, feeling a little numb.

Crying a little, she patted the spot on the bed next to her.

"The keys are exactly what you think they are. I don't know who put them there, but you _need_ to collect them." She took a breath and wiped her eyes. "The monster had some sort of insight into his mind, I think. But there was no evil surrounding the thought- you _need_ those keys. I don't know what they do."

"I'll find them, I promise." I bit my lip. "But… why have you been so indifferent to us lately? Does something happen to us… in the near future?"

Aerith nodded. "It's going to happen. There's no way to avoid it. I've been trying to convince myself out of it… but I see it more and more… I see it _growing_ inside of you and I don't know how to stop it… you've got to fight it Demyx. You can't lose."

Why did she say 'it' instead of 'him'? "What do you mean? Do I have some sort of cancer?" It's stupid, but the only thing I can think of.

She shook her head, and then a thought struck me violently and unexpectedly.

"You can't mean…" I said quickly.

Aerith nodded, eyes running. "It's too late. I should have seen it, a long time ago when it first started."

I blinked several times, my hands knotting together in my lap.

"There's more," she said.

"Still more? About me?"

Another nod. "I'm not sure I should tell you."

I closed my eyes.

"But it's unfair if you don't know. Maybe… maybe you can stop the future from happening."

I squeezed my eyes shut.

"You're going to die, Demyx. You're going to die in the worst way possible."

Shock throttled through me.

"I don't know when. I don't know how. But I know that. And you can't. You can't die before him, you hear me?" Her voice was slightly deranged.

I nodded once, numbly.

"Go," she told me, putting a hand on my upper arm. "Go. You have a lot to do."

And I went outside and the sound exploded in my head like fireworks.

* * *

><p>On some level, of course I was. I was only human. I couldn't live forever. But I knew what she meant. I would die <em>sometime soon.<em>

My heart was hammering; my breath was coming in weird shuddery gasps. I felt like I was going to faint but steadied myself.

The last time something like this had happened, I had accepted death, welcomed it, even. But now that I knew ahead of time- and I knew I wasn't sick- made me wonder why, and how.

I wasn't ready yet. I wasn't ready to give up everything I lived for- Yuffie, music, and my friends here. I wasn't ready to give up my humanity, my life. But I was in too deeply. There was no way I could pull myself from this mess now, no matter how much I wanted to- and I wanted to so badly. Because if I was involved, so were my friends.

I sat on a bench, putting my face in my hands and trying to get everything under control.

Oh god I was actually _crying._ With a jolt, I remembered my visit to Ichijo's mother the day the Heartless came-

_We'd spent a good two hours trying to deal with all the Heartless. Like the weeks we had worked together, Yuffie and I were a team, working effortlessly together. Fighting was easy then; I had my sitar. It was thoughtless._

_I forgot how driving patrol could be. Had it been like this? Had it been more than this, less? There even weren't that many- we just cut through as we ran, uncertain of where we were running._

_Something startled me, though. Why did I suddenly enjoy the fights? How did my mind instantly seem to find openings, weaknesses in defense? How did my body know when to dodge, when to strike?_

_But I didn't really notice as we flew. Yuffie slowed to a walk; she paused._

_"Here…" she said. "He lived here."_

_And I knew._

_Sitting on the front steps was a woman that had to have been Ichijo's mother._

_I walked over cautiously. The woman looked up. Her look was stricken. "Are you the one?" She asked me, eyes red, but her eyes weren't puffy. _

_I nodded very slowly._

_The woman patted the pavement next to her, and I sat down. _

_"I was going to come find you," I told her. "I…"_

_"Don't say it," she told me. "I understand. I know what's going on in this town; I don't need the whole explanation. Just sit here with me."_

_Yuffie stared, eyes clouded with sadness. _

_The woman held her hand out towards her, and Yuffie stepped forward. "He adored you," she said. "You were his idol."_

_Yuffie's eyes welled. "He was my favorite."_

_I closed my eyes. "He wanted me to tell you he loves you," I said softly. "And… do you have a daughter?"_

_The woman paused. "My best friend took them. They don't quite understand what happened. They're staying there until… I have everything under control."_

_"He said he wanted his sister to take care of the brother."_

_"Yes. Yes, he would say that." Ichijo's mother stared into her knees. _

_"I'm so sorry," I told her. "Honestly, I tried everything I could."_

_"I don't blame you," she said. "I… I wanted to thank you. Because of you, he passed on peacefully."_

_"He was the first one I lost," I admitted in a whisper._

_The woman gave me a watery smile. "There's always hope."_

_I raised my eyebrow. I should have been the one comforting her._

_"Yes, losing him is a pain I thought I would never experience. It means I failed as a mother. But just because I failed my one child doesn't mean I can fail the others. You understand?"_

_I blinked. "I think I do."_

_She squeezed my hand. "Thank you, Demyx, for everything. But I must go now." She stood and headed back inside of her home._

_Yuffie was misty-eyed, looking at her shoes. I stood and hugged her. We held on for a long time, neither of us saying anything._

_Finally, "We should go back," she said, furtively wiping her eyes. "It's getting dark. You know how they were at night." _

_I put an arm around her waist. "It's okay. He's at peace now."_

_"Yes. I know." She blinked. "Just stay with me, okay? In general."_

_Slightly confused, I nodded. "Of course."_

* * *

><p>"Demyx? Demyx, are you okay?"<p>

And of course, it was Yuffie, staring at me, sitting here and shaking with my face tear-stained.

How did I describe it to her? Did I just spit out the words? Would she believe me, and Aerith's prediction?

I had an awful choice to make, just then.

I could tell her, and she could be forewarned. We could both try to keep me alive. But why? Why _should_ I keep on living? If I stop him, what does it matter if I die in the process? Yet it would be painful. So, so painful. Because I'd already had to make that confession before, and then there hadn't been any hope.

Or I could say nothing; spare her the pain, at least for a little while. But could I handle living with that? We were so entrenched in this relationship that it was too late to get out of it. I loved her too much. No matter what I did, we'd both end up hurt.

_You're going to die. You're going to die in the worst way possible. _

Emotion overflowed. Not only was it mine, it was that imaginary heartache, the one I couldn't explain, the one that seemed to be both mine and someone else's.

Everything had been going _so well_. My life had been great. Had I been given this time as a rest and reprieve? Was _this_ my true purpose? Did I have one?

Why couldn't my mind just _shut up_?

Yuffie hugged me tightly. "What happened to you? What… what's wrong?"

I clutched her shirt, trying to reign in control. How did I explain something like this?

I found my voice, through the soft sobs. "It's nothing… I'm fine…"

"You are not fine." Her eyes were hard. "Demyx, tell me what's going on."

My lips tried to curl over the word, but I couldn't get it out. There was just no sound.

"Really. It's… it's…" I bit my lip.

She waited, squeezing my hand tightly.

"I'm just so scared," I finally managed, which is the truth. "I'm so scared."

She hugged me again. "It's going to be okay," she whispered.

My heart gave a little lurch, because I'd just been told the opposite.

"We're here for you," she said. "Axel and I and everyone."

I wiped my eyes. It was too _early_ for all this to be happening. Why was I going through a mental breakdown _now_? I pulled away gently.

How long? How long did I have?

I touched her face. "Yuffie…" I paused. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

And I meant it. Because my decision had been made.

* * *

><p>Hey everyone! How are you? It feels like it's been forever! Even though it's only been a month, and most authors take longer than that to update... -is sheepish- so how was everyone's Thanksgiving? Mine was... alright I guess.<br>And NaNoWriMo went... not as well as I had planned. About halfway through I lost my motivation and couldn't meet my daily word quota... and things just went downhill. But I will persevere! Next year it shall be!  
>Overall, not all that pleased with this chapter... I wrote it like a month and a half ago... too tired to do more than the usual edits... so I apologize!<p>

Thank you **_Leixym, Wolven24KH, DJ36521, TheChel, littlev123,__ Mystical,_**and Anna for reviewing last chapter. Thank you all for sticking with me!  
>Next update: December 8th<p> 


	10. The Next Step

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Chapter Nine

The Next Step

Yuffie looked at me in confusion. "Sorry? What are you sorry for?"

I paused, bit my lip, and looked out on the street. My eyes were still welling, but less my own pain than the imaginary force's.

"Demyx?" She asked now, looking at me with concern. "_What _are you sorry for?"

"Things are about to get a whole lot more complicated," I told her in a soft voice. "I… I don't want either of you involved."

"Well, you don't have much of a choice, do you?" She smiled wryly for a moment. "We're here for you, Demyx. I don't know about Axel, but I'm not leaving your side."

I paused again. "We're going to have to leave here."

"I know."

"Probably sometime soon. It's that damn key. I know it is part of a set. I know it's special. We _need_ to collect them." I had explained my thoughts to her on that already. "Sora doesn't understand. He doesn't know where we would begin."

She rubbed my back.

"I don't want to do this. Everything has been going so _well_. I… I… I don't want to put everyone in danger… and I will just by using the Keyblade. It's stupid and clichéd but it's the _truth_."

"We've gotten through worse," she whispered. "Remember that."

I nodded. "…Thank you."

She squeezed me. "What are you going to do?"

"What choice do I have? Sora is going to want to bring me along. And, honestly, I think I have to go, even though you know it's the last thing I want to do. Xemnas is behind this. It's me he wants. Even though we haven't seen him yet, we've deduced that much. Axel told me just how valuable I am to him."

"So it's you or him," she said. "One of you has to die."

"I didn't think of it quite like that," I murmured. _You're going to die in the worst way possible._ "But yes."

Her eyebrows furrowed a little bit, and she hugged me even tighter around the waist. "I won't let him kill you," she said. "I'll protect you."

I stroked her hair. "Shouldn't I be the one saying that?"

"We never _were_ normal." She paused. "But I do mean it. I can't imagine you not being here."

"You're amazing, you know that?" I told her.

She smiled a little bit.

And just as we were about to kiss, Sora ran up. "I've got it," he said, holding the key out effortlessly, the little _VI_ glimmering in the dying light. "I've got a plan. I know how we're going to find these keys."

* * *

><p>So it was like this.<p>

Sora had been playing around with the key, fooling with its energy field, because apparently it wasn't malevolent. (Personally, I didn't understand it. How did it have an energy field? What _was_ an energy field? It seemed to be one of the important things he had yet to tell me about.) And out of nowhere, of the utmost convenience, a map had appeared, hanging in front of him, chock full of coordinates.

"So of course I copied it down. It might be suspicious yet, but it was still best to get it down while I could." He smiled. "At least we've got our lead. I don't know which worlds they're on, but I'll take a look at Cid's map. And there we go."

"When are we going to leave?" Yuffie asked.

He raised his eyebrow. "You sure you want to come along, Yuffie? It's not as easy as you think it is."

She squeezed my hand still tighter. "Yes. You left me out last time. This time I'm coming along, whether you want to or not."

He sighed. "Good think I thought forward and brought the larger ship. I assumed Axel would want to go, too."

"I don't know," I told him. "You'd have to ask him yourself."

Now that we had a starting point, I couldn't avoid thinking about it any longer.

What would_ happen_? When would Aerith's prophecy come true? When would Xemnas finally appear? Somehow, despite everything I'd been through and all the evidence to back it up, I felt like he still wasn't real. Like this could all just be some nightmare I would wake up from.

Or was it all a dream? Everything? Humanity?

In my room, I laid my head against my knees.

Tentatively, I heard someone knock at the door.

"Demyx?" Axel's voice.

"Come in," I told him, voice somewhat lifeless.

"We have to head down soon," he told me. "We have to talk about our next move, especially since nothing is really concrete at this point." He paused and leaned against the door. "Are you okay?"

I looked up. "I'm fine," I told him; trying to convince myself that it wasn't a lie. Because, physically, I _was_ fine. I wasn't hurt, or bleeding.

He pushed the door open a crack wider. "You're lying. What is it?"

I shrugged.

Axel came in now and sat next to me on the floor. "A lot's been going on, I know."

"It's just so _crazy_. Why me, why us? I would have never thought, in a million years, that this would happen."

Axel shrugged too. "Why waste time trying to figure it out? This is what's supposed to happen. We just have to go along with it."

I sighed. "Yeah, but…" I bit my lip.

"But what?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I'm scared," I confessed, looking away from him and out the window. The sky had cleared, and the sun was setting. "I'm scared to see what's out there, and what he did. I'm scared for all of us. I don't want him to hurt you, or Yuffie, or anybody, to get to me."

"Yuffie and I are willing to accept the consequences," he said. "Demyx, you're _important_ to us. We'll fight with you. You won't be alone."

"Yes, I know that…" I paused.

"Go on."

"There has to be a reason this time, other than betrayal. He _wants_ me. There's some purpose I have in his life, or so he thinks. I'm not just an innocent bystander anymore."

"I never understood it, why he hunted you so mercilessly the first time around," Axel admitted. "It could have been worse, true, but he didn't just want to get rid of you. That would have been easy enough. He wanted to _destroy_ you."

Without thinking about it, I put a hand on my chest. "This isn't all about me, though. He's probably hurting other people, for whichever reason he feels is important. I just wish I knew his _motive._ It can't be Kingdom Hearts again, can it?"

Axel shrugged. "Come on, let's go eat. It's been a long day."

* * *

><p>Over dinner at Merlin's, Sora explained everything to them. His whole face lit up when he explained his discovery. Naturally, it was met with some skepticism.<p>

"I don't really understand it. It seems too convenient to me," Leon said. "I don't like this at all. What if it's all a trap?"

"It didn't seem malevolent to me," Aerith said. "But I don't understand. Just who did- does- it belong to? What are they trying to lead you into, if they're trying to do that at all?"

I picked at my food, not meeting anyone's eyes and saying nothing.

"I _think_ it's Xehanort," Sora continued. "There's still so much we don't know, but it's worth a shot, to go and try out these coordinates. What have we got to lose?"

_Everything_, I thought quickly, but I knew it had to be done. The Heartless were back, and people were getting hurt because of it. I could sacrifice my own comfort for that.

I closed my eyes.

"Where would you go first?" Cid asked.

"I don't know what it's called. This map is weird," Sora commented, brandishing his own copy. "I don't recognize any of the worlds, at least so far." He sighed. "I want to leave as soon as possible."

I realized just then that Riku and Kairi were here too. How come neither of them spoke? They picked silently at their own meals, just like I was. I looked at Yuffie next to me, and she gave me an encouraging smile. I tried to return it, but nodded once.

Axel leaned back, putting his hands behind his head. "I don't like how everything _feels_," he said. "But I agree with Sora. If it brings us one step closer to stopping Xehanort for good, what can we lose?"

I sat up straighter. "I don't understand why he's back. Sora killed his Heartless. We killed his Nobody. Xehanort, or Xemnas, or whatever you want to call him… he shouldn't exist."

"Yen Sid theorized that by destroying both parts, you essentially recreate the person," Sora repeated. "I don't know if I believe it."

Aerith sighed. "Do any of you believe in ghosts?"

We all looked up.

She tilted her head to the side. "Ghosts are spirits that are still chained to this life, right? They have something they need to complete before they go… on."

I was reminded of my experience in the lifestream. I paused.

"So maybe that's what happened to him. Maybe he's just an insubstantial husk capable of all this destruction." Aerith set aside her napkin. "We won't know until we find him."

"_If_ we find him," Riku said suddenly. "You know, I'm not sure I really buy that he's alive. There are Heartless, yes, but maybe they come from darkness, not Xehanort."

We all drifted in our own thoughts for a few moments. Yuffie squeezed my hand.

"We won't know until we get out there," Sora said quietly. "All this doubting, questioning, and theorizing is just pointless. It doesn't achieve anything but confusion. There's something we need to stop and a way to stop it. Do we really need to know anything more?"

Riku said nothing in response, his teal eyes glowering.

I observed the exchanged warily. Riku and Sora were apparently best friends. Now, it seemed that Sora had taken charge and even set their friendship aside for the moment, now that everything else was happening.

What happened to the boy who would risk everything for his friends? Who was the person sitting across from me? Did I even know him at all?

It didn't matter, because we were connected. Connected in a way that I didn't want.

I clenched one fist in my lap, feeling sad, assisted by the imaginary force.

What was happening to _me_? Why did it seem that I was feeling the emotions of someone- or something- else? And this was beyond empathy, because even though I _could_ feel the emotions of others to an extent, this seemed deeper. More rooted.

"…Who are you taking with you?" Leon asked, breaking a long, awkward silence.

"Riku, Kairi, and I," Sora told him. "Demyx, you know I want you to come, too. Yuffie told me she was going as well. But Axel…" Sora looked at him. "I never got around to asking you. How do you feel about it?"

Axel shrugged passively. "You know I'm not getting left out of the action. Besides, you can't really expect Demyx to fend for himself." He smirked at me.

I couldn't meet his eyes, only stared at my knees. Yuffie tightened her grip on my hand.

"…Tomorrow morning, we start gathering supplies," Sora concluded.

* * *

><p>As I turned to leave, Kairi took me aside.<p>

"Demyx, you're a white mage, right?" She asked.

"Yeah, why?"

She bit her lip. "I've been trying to learn, but there was no one to teach me on the islands. I'd ask Aerith, but if we're going to be traveling together, do you think you can teach me?"

"Yeah, I guess, but it's harder than you think." Lists and lists of things to memorize, lots of long, convoluted philosophy lessons. That wasn't even adding in actual healing and practical applications. In fact, I felt surprised I'd learned it as quickly as I had.

"I'm a fast learner," she told me, and ran off, beaming.

I went to turn back to Yuffie, but Aerith took my wrist. "This is a big responsibility you're taking on," she said. "Remember what I told you earlier. I'm _worried_ about you, Demyx, and the others. You don't have to do this."

I sighed. "Yes, I do. He's after me."

Aerith frowned a little. "I'll get some things ready for you."

"I'll need my handbook back," I told her, and then smiled a little. "Kairi asked me to teach her."

Aerith raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"I know, bad timing." I shrugged. "But she saved my life once by healing."

"Sometimes you learn quickest under pressure," Aerith said, and went back into her little room.

* * *

><p><strong>Yuffie<strong>

Demyx was talking to Kairi. I planned on waiting for him outside, but Squall took me aside.

"What are you doing?" He asked in a gruff voice. "Why are you going with them?"

"Because I want to," I told him evenly. "Squall…" I bit my lip and trailed off. "I can't just wait on the sidelines again. What if something happens to Demyx? I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I hadn't been there and able to stop it."

"You don't know how bad it could be out there, Yuffie. There are things you just can't handle. What if there are more of those soul-taking monsters, and one gets you before you can stop it? This is above and beyond our control."

"Squall, this is exactly what we need to stop." I stared at him. "I'm a member of the Restoration Committee. My job is to protect people and make life safe for them. How could I sleep at night if I just sat and did nothing while this all went on?"

He sighed. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I'll be fine," I whispered. "I always am."

We both looked over at Demyx, now speaking to Aerith.

"He's not ready," Squall said softly.

"I know," I murmured. "That's why I need to protect him."

Squall said nothing more. "I know you love him, Yuffie, but…"

I blinked. "But what?"

"But don't get yourself killed over a lost cause."

* * *

><p><strong>Demyx<strong>

Sora came and woke us at seven in the morning.

Groggily, I sat up. I heard Axel swear in the other room.

"How did he get in?" I muttered. We locked the door every night- right. Keyblade. Unlock every door. Damn him.

"Morning!" He called cheerfully from the living room. He knew our hearing was better than an average human's. "Get up, guys!"

I threw the cover off my legs, my mind spinning in its half-asleep state. I wondered blearily if there were any elephants left in the freezer before remembering that elephants didn't live on this world.

I dragged myself to the door but couldn't motivate myself to open it. I hadn't slept very well the previous night. I had dreamt too much, and not even about anything specific. All I could remember were the vivid colors, and that my eyes kept wheeling around, making everything a blur.

Finally, I pushed the door open, almost walking straight into Axel.

"I am going to _murder_ him," he told me in a gruff voice.

"Just be quick about it," I muttered.

Sora rounded the corner and saw our displeased faces. He looked sheepish and put a hand behind his head. "Too early?"

"Oh, you think?" Axel snapped, and barged into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry," I apologized as I passed. "Axel's not happy until his second cup of coffee."

Sora sat with us at the table until we were both fully awake. "You need to get yourselves ready," he said finally. "You know, clothes and things. I want to maybe leave by tomorrow."

Tomorrow, I thought, tracing a finger on the rim of my mug. It was too soon.

"And after you get everything you need, you should help us gather supplies. It's going to be a long trip."

"How long?" I asked, thinking. School started up again in late August. I might have to quit my job, too. I bit my lip.

"I'm not sure," Sora confessed. "And I know it's a lot to ask for. I'm completely uprooting you. But you need to be there, Demyx."

Submissively, I nodded. At that moment I felt kind of numb. I just wanted to crawl back into bed, and never to come back out.

"I'm sorry," he said again. "I know this isn't what any of us wanted."

I nodded.

"Should get the stuff together by the afternoon," Sora told us. "Try to bring only what you need. Space is pretty limited." He left the room as quickly as he had entered.

Axel turned and left too, going back down the hallway.

Slightly dazed, I asked him, "What are you doing?"

"What do you think? Going back to sleep. He should just be glad I didn't hurt him." Axel shrugged dismissively.

"What about packing?"

Axel smiled in that weird way of his. "I survived two weeks in Agrabah in a freak sandstorm with only a knife and a cloak to my name. I think I'll be fine." He shut the door behind him, leaving me alone in the living room.

I felt wide-awake now, though. I set my glass in the sink and resolutely went to start packing my things. Quickly I found a small duffle bag in the bottom of my closet. It had a slight coating of sand in the bottom, because the last time I'd used it I'd been to the beach. How much of summer would I lose? Would I lose more than just time?

I emptied the dregs of sand into the trash and sat on the floor, just eyeing the thing. I couldn't procrastinate much longer.

I couldn't believe we were leaving tomorrow, going out into the universe without much more than a set of coordinates as a guide. Coordinates that, I might add, could possibly just end up being a trap. The whole journey could end up being pointless. I ran a hand through my hair, shook my head one last time, and got up.

It took me a little over ten minutes to get ready. I didn't bring much. A week's worth of clothes. A raincoat. Sweatshirt. Extra shoes. I tried to think of the things I'd need, but my mind refused to shape around it. I kept noticing other things, like the fact that the bed wasn't made and that it was a beautiful day outside. I dug up my old utility knife and briefly considered bringing my old boots from the Organization, one of the two artifacts from my old life. The other, equally as untouched, sat in my desk drawer. The boots I'd only kept because they were the only shoes I had that fit at the time. They were warm, well made and waterproof, probably a good, sensible thing to bring along. I scoffed and left them in their corner.

I didn't give much thought to my Nobody days anymore. I had no reason to, because I was human and had everything I wanted. Still, I couldn't forget those days, and the terror of being a new human. The memories crept up on me at off moments, like when I was sitting behind the counter at work or when I was with Yuffie. I couldn't pretend that I wasn't one of them at some point. Those days had definitely happened; they were a part of me, but I was different now, very different, and hopefully for the better.

Axel and I almost never talked about it, aside from casual references such as "Do you remember when we trashed Vexen's lab?" And we talked even less about Roxas, which was funny because Roxas had consumed Axel's life as a Nobody. Once in a rare while, he'd crop up in conversation, and almost always the subject was changed immediately.

Were we ashamed of it? Would we rather pretend we'd always been human, and had met in a perfectly normal setting? That suited my personality, but it was unlike Axel to deny that sort of thing. You'd think he'd be _proud_ that he'd help fell the remaining Organization member. It just didn't make sense.

My bag was only halfway full. I had everything I felt I'd need, before I remembered that it would probably be good idea to at least bring my paperwork.

I didn't know why I had gone through the long, arduous process of becoming a full citizen of Radiant Garden. Maybe it was a subconscious effort to reassure myself that this was home. Hours of tests and interviews resulted in one sheet of paper that said, yes, I could live here, and yes, it was completely justified. It hadn't even been legally necessary. Neither had the driver's license, but I'd gone for that too. There wasn't a reason for that, either; the streets were mostly for walking. I gathered these, as well as the white mage certificate (conveniently wallet-sized), and shoved them into an unused notebook to keep them flat.

I went to my desk. It was actually surprisingly clean. I didn't have much in it. I had to kneel- all my furniture was low to the ground, Japanese style- and opened one of the only three drawers. The other, bottom two were filled with college crap.

The top drawer had only one item in it- a book of staff paper, the other artifact I'd retained since becoming human. I'd kept it with the pretext of going through it. That had never happened. I kept telling myself that I'd get to it tomorrow, or next weekend, or when I had a day off. I'd made myself so busy that it was easy to forget. And why was I avoiding it?

Because the time or two I had actually cracked the book open, it made my heart ache. The compositions were just so empty, so pointless, drier and more tedious than the skill building exercises that every musician was used to. I couldn't believe that my first bits of original work were written with such torpidity.

There was only one piece in this book I valued. Via Purifico, it was called. I found the page now, already yellowing slightly despite the high, silky quality of the paper. I saw my own handwriting, willowy and half-hearted (or, if you'll allow me, no-hearted). I still couldn't believe that I'd been that person.

I rifled through the papers, seeing them all. There was a surprisingly predictable pattern to the music- less a rhythm or a cadence and more like the steady dripping of water eroding stone. Page after page of copied rhythms, strung together disjointedly, ties inserted here or there to satisfy, failing spectacularly. None of it made any real, coherent sense to me; it was all useless music. The sight of something this empty, yet so sad, made me feel nauseous. I took a deep breath and closed the book. It, too, was half empty. In the three years as a Nobody I had barely written anything. In two months as a human I had nearly doubled that.

I didn't know what made me do it, but the book ended up in my bag, buried beneath all the clothing.

I lay on my bed a moment, breathing slowly. Tomorrow. I had one day until we left.

And how many until I died? I had forgotten about Aerith's prophecy in my daze. I wasn't so narcissistic anymore that I would do anything to avoid death. But I'd rather not be warned, thank you very much, if it were cemented in fate.

What would I tell my friends? "Oh, yeah, hey guys, Aerith told me that I'm going to die any time now. No big deal, right?"

I thought fate was supposed to change. Destiny depended ultimately on the choices you made, right? Had I made the wrong choice somewhere? If I had, perhaps, chosen to skip that mission a little over two years ago, the one that faced me off against Sora for the first time, I wouldn't be here right now. I wouldn't be human. Possibly, I would have faded, struck dead by Sora on his way to face Xemnas.

Either way, I'd be dead. So what did it matter? It didn't, I decided, and now I no longer felt sad about it. So I would die. But I'd take him with me. I would worry about things later and through myself wholeheartedly into this mission.

I wasn't so sure where this new resolve came from, but I embraced it.

We were all doomed anyway. There was no point in moping about it.

* * *

><p>I really don't like this chapter... it's so boring, nothing happens, and the characters philosophize the crap out each other, while probably raising other questions that remain unanswered.<br>I promise things are going to start picking up!  
>On that note, what are the types of worlds you would like to see included in this story? I already have a few picked out. I'd rather they be movies that haven't been in the KH series yet. Most of them will probably be Disney. I'd like like a few suggestions.<br>So far, I know I'm going to be including Tron: Legacy, and probably Ratchet and Clank.

Please and thank you!

A big thanks to **_Mystical, DJ36521, Wolven24KH, TheChel, littlev123, SoraIsMyHomeboy,_** Anna, and an anonymous reviewer who didn't even leave a guest name.

See you all next week!


	11. In which the expositon begins to end

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Chapter Ten  
>~In which~<br>The exposition is coming to a close

I spent the remainder of the day just wandering around town, trying to get used to the idea that I might never come back. Radiant Garden had really become home for me.

I assumed that Xemnas and I would die at the very end of the journey, after weeks of hard work tracking him down and negating everything he did. But how long would that be? Weeks? A month? A year? It all formed a question in my mind- how long?

I had been a victim of a race against time before. I know how it feels- like having a time bomb inside of you, never knowing when it would just explode. The anxiety is beyond measure.

I turned a corner, not really paying attention to where I was specifically, just trying to absorb the beauty of this newly built world, when someone grabbed my forearm. My heart jumped and I almost went to hit my assailant- I guess two weeks of training had paid off for something after all- when I realized it was only Luxord.

"Bit jumpy, you are," he commented. I relaxed and he let me go. "I've been expecting you."

Luxord and I hadn't had more than three conversations in all this time. He disappeared early and often, according to Xigbar, who didn't seem to care (which is odd, because I'd always known him for being up in everyone's business). Luxord seemed to be different to me, somehow, and I don't just mean human, or personality-wise. Something… _essential _changed about him. He seemed to be wiser. More intuitive.

Well, crap. I already had one bad prophecy. I didn't need another.

"How have you been?" I asked automatically, a little shaken up.

Luxord smiled, Cheshire-cat style. He was the only person I knew who could do that. "I'm very well, thanks. You… on the other hand, not so much."

I didn't say anything. A response seemed gratuitous. He knew. Of course he knew.

"I know everything and nothing," he continued in that cryptic way of his. Ordinarily, I would be confused. But my mind, sowed and prepped because of many philosophical conversations with Sora and Aerith, adapted easily. "I am prepared for many possible futures."

Still I said nothing, and nodded, urging him to continue.

"Half of them have you in it." Luxord took a deck of cards out of his pocket and halved the deck. "Half of them don't."

"I already know I'm going to die," I said quietly.

Luxord smiled in that way again. "Perhaps that's how one facet was interpreted, yes."

Despite myself, I felt a little confused, and tried to keep myself from making a face.

"Have you wondered why I said 'half'?" He continued.

"No," I admitted flatly.

"The answer, then, is obvious. The world is light and dark. There are two paths, light and darkness. One leads to survival. The other leads to certain death."

"But I die either way," I interjected. "I don't understand."

"Oh, no," Luxord told me. "In several futures, you're alive and well."

"Let me guess. I'm going to have to choose," I spat. "Can't you be clearer? I know I'm supposed to understand all this and I know you always talk this way, but it would be a hell of a lot easier if you just told me, in black and white."

Luxord shrugged passively. "Yes. You have to make a choice. That's all destiny is, a series of choices. A… puzzle, if you will, with many multitudes of answers."

"But why would I choose darkness? I've never had reason to. I know better than that," I continued.

"You'd be surprised, what you'd do to survive. Why do you think we were reborn as Nobodies? Because we submitted to the darkness to survive."

"I never thought of it quite like that," I murmured.

Luxord nodded. "All I need you to do is be careful, Demyx, and think a little. If you decide correctly… we all might just survive this." He squeezed my hand and walked off.

I stared after him, feeling distinctly ruffled. He'd dropped one card on his way- either by accident or on purpose. I picked it up; the card was warm to the touch.

It was an Ace of Spades.

* * *

><p>I ended up wandering towards Yuffie's.<p>

As much as I'd said it before, I really didn't want her risking herself for me, or for anyone, for that matter. I was supposed to protect _her_.

And, most definitely, I didn't want her dying in my place.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. It was odd- my eyes seemed to catch each and every single color as I looked around. The sky was its usual, beautiful pale purple. Everything seemed so much more intense than it normally was, in full bloom and alive.

Luxord said I had a choice. That if I played this right, I would survive.

For a moment, I had to stop and just take a moment to breathe. I opened my eyes and looked around, the brightness of everything being kind of overwhelming.

This wasn't all about survival. It was about stopping something that should have never been reborn. I had to have been given this chance for a reason- was stopping him it? Was saving my friends part of it, as well? I could live with that.

As for Xemnas…

How were we even connected? Why did he choose me? Axel thought he was using me for power. Why hadn't he just figured out a way to take it from me when I was still a malleable Nobody fully under his control?

But I had grown so much these past two years, and would probably learn still more as Sora taught me.

I didn't even fully understand the connection between us. My old human memories were so jumbled and vague, it was hard to tell this from that anymore. Was the fish stall story just something he'd planted in my head?

I took another deep breath. What Sora said earlier was right- there was no need to over think things. I was just confusing myself further.

I arrived at Yuffie's a little after noon. Aerith was up and moving around with Zack at her side. She let me in and told me she and Zack were leaving.

I found Yuffie in her room with an empty bag on the bed. She, too, seemed to have trouble packing.

I knocked once on the door, so not to scare her. "Having trouble packing?"

Yuffie looked up, brought back from her reverie. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in."

I nodded and leaned against the doorframe. "It's a beautiful day outside," I commented.

"…I noticed." She went over to her dresser and pulled out two or three colored tank tops and threw them in without looking. "Did you finish packing?"

"Yes."

She sighed and sat down on her bed. The whole room was furnished eccentrically- the furniture pieces were mismatched and random, and there was _stuff_ everywhere, but not in a messy, sloppy way. The colors of her room were actually much more saturated than my own, deep blues and reds and violets. She had a paper fan from this event, pages of old poetry tacked to the corkboard, along with pictures, both new and old. Her bedspread was made from patches of old shirts, pieces of cloth, and so on. When it came to things, Yuffie was an avid collector. She'd told me that every item had a history. Nothing she owned was new.

Even the walls seemed mismatched, painted eclectically, bright colors in neat circles here, messy handfuls of ink blue there. She'd lived here as long as she could remember.

We both looked at the ceiling, and the spirals of kanji and hiragana written, random words and phrases like _apple_ and _shadow_.

"I know this was my choice," she said suddenly. "But I don't want to leave."

"Me neither," I said softly.

She patted the spot on the bed next to her, and I sat down. I squeezed her hand tightly. I'd never really had time to examine her space. Most the time we ended up and my place, anyway. She claimed it was less crowded there, even though Axel could be just as bothersome as Aerith and Zack, if not ten times more, because he teased instead of offering tea or snacks.

"I always wanted to see other worlds, you know?" She continued. "I'm glad for the opportunity. I'm just… finding difficulty putting a positive spin on it, you know."

I put an arm around her shoulder. "No one said you had to."

Yuffie shrugged. "It's just better to deal with it than mope." She pulled her legs up on the bed and leaned further into me.

There were a few minutes of silence. I actually thought she'd fallen asleep when she said, "Are you afraid?"

"Excuse me?"

Yuffie sat up and looked at me. "Are you afraid? Of him? Of dying?"

"Where did that come from?"

She shrugged. "I've just been thinking about it a lot lately."

"Really…" My voice was soft. We never really discussed these things.

"I don't want you to die, Demyx," she whispered. Yuffie closed her eyes again.

I tried to think of something witty to cheer her up, something along the lines of "Thank you, I feel flattered," but nothing came. I just stroked her hair instead. "Nobody wants to die," I said, voice even lower.

"We'll get through it just fine," she told me, her tone normal volume, which sounded almost like a shout after whispering for so long. "Just you watch. Sora always pulled through just fine, so I'm sure between the six of us we'll managed to survive." She smiled in her usual way.

One of the things about Yuffie was that it was difficult to tell when she was being honest or just dressing the situation up in her usual way- with cheerfulness. "I've missed you," I admitted. "These last few weeks."

She squeezed my hand. "It was really boring, just doing patrol by myself. I missed you, too." Another reassuring smile. "You don't even have to leave me behind this time." She touched my face. "I'll see you through this, Demyx. I promise. …What's wrong?"

I laughed a little hollowly. "Haven't you considered that _I'm _supposed to be the one taking care of _you_?"

"Since when were we normal?" She raised an eyebrow. "Have you considered that I do all this because I love you?"

"But I just don't want you to get hurt." I frowned. "I don't want you to die, either."

"I should hope not."

Yuffie looked at me with that same inquisitive glance. "You're not alone in this."

"I… know. That's the only thing I'm sure of."

She squeezed me around the waist. "Then can you help me pack? I'm a little lost here."

I blinked. "Um… right." I walked her through the process absentmindedly. When her bag was full, she set it next to the door and sat next to me again.

"Well, I'm _not_ afraid," she told me, sounding confident.

I guess that shouldn't have surprised me, knowing her, but still I asked, "You… aren't? Of anything?"

"Fear is irrational. Conquer fear and you can conquer anything." She smiled in an absent way. "See? I can do it too."

"Do what?"

"Spout philosophy like I'm all high and mighty." She smiled smugly and closed her eyes. "I know I haven't done anything all day today, but I'm tired."

"You should rest up while you can."

"Same goes for you." Yuffie looked up at me from her place on my lap. The sun was setting already; the light hit her eyes. "Just look at it this way- you'll have tons of new inspiration."

"…Yeah, I guess." My poor sitar was so neglected these past few weeks, it wasn't even funny. When I _had_ sat down to write something, it all came out sounding wrong- anxious, panicked. And everything I'd written felt like I was doing it because I had to, not because I wanted to.

Had my head grown so full that music had just gotten pushed out? No, it was not possible- I still hear the music everywhere, legibly and clearly, but there was less variation. My mind had pushed away all melody but the same recurring one.

"Don't worry," she told me, still confident and brushing a hair out of my face.

"I'm not… worrying." Though I was.

"Hey, Demyx?"

"Yeah?"

She sat up, turned, and kissed me, long and deep, unlike the way we usually acted around each other anymore, because we were so rarely alone. I pulled her in closer. How long had it been? A few seconds? Minutes? Time seemed irrelevant. I laced my fingers through her hair. She put her legs around my waist and drew me closer.

Things were almost a little too intense now. There was only one day left.

Yuffie gripped at my shirt collar, went to undo one of the buttons. I would have complied, gladly, if it had not been for the sound of Aerith and Zack arriving back.

We pulled apart for a minute. "They're home," she said, and ignoring that, leaned back in for another kiss.

"Wait," I said softly. "Not now."

She sighed, and we both nodded, disappointed.

* * *

><p>Dinner that night was somber. We all tried to be cheerful, but it was difficult. The luggage was put by the door. We'd be leaving at dawn. I looked around the room- Merlin's house- and wondered about Merlin himself, rather than face the daunting thought that I'd never be back. To be honest, I hadn't seen him more than three times- and I came here every day, at least once or twice. Where was he? Why didn't I ever wonder about it? It was one of those unquestioned things, like who actually made the food.<p>

But we kept up light conversation the whole time, laughing and joking like normal, but the serious undertone was prominent.

We lingered albeit a bit longer than usual. After that, once everything was cleaned up, still everyone was in little clumps. Sora advised us to go to home and get to sleep, as we'd have to get up when it was dark.

After a quick word with Aerith about the supplies we'd be taking, I walked with Yuffie and Axel back home. After dropping Yuffie at home, Axel and I continued in the dark.

Axel said nothing for a while, but I could tell he was watching me in the dark. I looked only at the pavement, my hands in my pockets.

"…You're not going to tell me how you feel about this?" He asked.

I sighed. "No. To be honest, I'm glad you didn't ask. It's just too much to think about."

Again, silence.

"Well, good," he said after a while.

"I wonder where we'll start first," I thought aloud. "A world we know of? A world we don't know of? Can we really just saunter in, grab the key, and saunter out?"

"…You know it's not going to be that easy."

"Hey, I can dream, can't I?"

We arrived back at the apartment. I went to sleep early, hoping for dreamless sleep and a quick end to the night.

I received neither.

* * *

><p>I dreamt that I was drowning.<p>

It made no sense. As a water elemental, I couldn't drown. My lungs could adapt to taking in water instead of air; I guessed I just took the oxygen out of it.

But no, in the dream I was most definitely drowning.

I think I was in the ocean, but it was hard to tell. Wherever I was, the water was choppy and violently churning. I broke the surface, but never long enough to take in a full lungful of air. My body was yanked every which way, pulled here and there by the violent surf- again, unlikely in reality. I was a strong enough swimmer to know how to fight the tide.

But my dream self didn't. I flailed, trying to regain balance. My mind spun, adrenaline trying to pull me upwards, gravity down, so I was stuck in the middle, trying to reach the surface, to breathe. Water stung my eyes, slapping my skin. The salt that soaked into my shirt made my skin raw.

There was a shore ahead, I somehow knew. I just had to get to the shore. The answers were there. I had to get there before him…

A giant wave sloshed overhead and dragged me under, the riptide violently spinning me head over heels.

The thing was, about drowning, that while I could_ feel_ everything, physically, my brain didn't comprehend it. I couldn't think.

My lungs felt like they were going to burst. I fought for the surface, only to be further tugged below.

Air exploded from me. I tried for the surface again, for an eighth, a sixteenth time.

Everything went dizzy. I stopped fighting so hard. My eyesight, blurry from the salt.

I sighed. Death was nothing to worry about. It wouldn't be long before I was back.

Suddenly, then, I saw darkness, but it was welcome. The tendrils swished through the water like drops of food coloring. They grabbed me- I expected to be pulled further still- but I was being pulled_ upward_s. They were helping me, aside from the angry red cuts that were made when the darkness cut into my skin.

I reached the surface finally, the water here calm. I took a few well-deserved breaths and tried to make for shore, but here I was a weak swimmer.

And then I

My heart stopped.

* * *

><p>Originally intended to have them leave this chapter, but I just couldn't focus to write that bit, between listening to 'Nyan Karkat' (you'll understand if you've read Homestuck) and just borderline being distracted.<br>Speaking of which, I still need recommendations for worlds. I have a pretty good idea what I'm doing for the first one; I just need to find the other half of it somewhere. This is where updates will get slower; between keeping everything in-canon and coming up with the next arc outline, it'll be pretty difficult to balance things without them getting too much like KH 2 (which just didn't flow as well as 1, in my opinion).  
>Thank you all for your suggestions; they really helped.<br>...I also promise the dream will make sense in context later on.

Also, thanks to **_littlev123, StardustArcher, Wolven24KH, Mystical, SoraIsMyHomeboy,_**and Anna for reviewing.  
>Next update: December 21<p> 


	12. In which I dream

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Chapter Eleven

~In which~  
>I dream<p>

I woke up with a start and automatically took my own pulse, only to find that it was still steady and strong.

What the hell was that all about?

I took a few deep breaths to bring myself back under control. It was still dark out. I closed my eyes and flopped back down on the pillows.

What did it… mean? Nothing? Anything? But that was the most vivid dream I'd had yet- less like a dream, more like it had actually been happening. Especially since no one could ever remember the beginnings of dreams.

I sighed and sat up again. I knew I wouldn't be able to fall asleep now.

I got up and went into the kitchen, only to discover that it was a quarter to six. I made myself some tea and sat at the table with my head in my arms for a moment, only to realize I had to go and wake Axel, which would be a miserable experience in itself.

To my surprise, he actually waltzed into the room. "Morning," he said, almost cheerfully, and then saw me. "What's with you?"

I shrugged passively. "We need to get ready to leave. I don't know what Sora's definition of 'early' is, but I'm sure we're already late."

Axel shrugged, too. His hair was not gelled and kind of messed up from sleep. "What's the rush?"

Yet another passive shrug. "None, I guess."

"Well, you're right. We need to eat and get out of here."

Within half an hour, we were dressed and ready to leave. All the strings had been tied, like who would get rid of the perishable food if we weren't back in time to eat it, and also other little bits like that.

It was odd, walking out this early in the morning. The sun was just barely staring to rise. Axel spun the key ring around his finger and whistled a little. I didn't feel like I was leaving, rather like I was just going grocery shopping. At six in the morning.

Everyone was there when we got in. Someone had evidently loaded all our stuff already, because it was no longer there. I took it all in with a certain amount of numbness.

"Are you guys ready to go?" Sora asked upon seeing us. Riku and Kairi were chatting with each other. Leon was speaking in a very low, serious voice to Yuffie. Cid looked ruffled.

"…Can I… say goodbye?" I asked quickly.

Sora blinked. "Of course. We _are_ coming back, you know."

"I know. But…" I stopped myself, confused, and shook my head.

"Go ahead," Sora encouraged me.

I took a few more steps into the room and looked around. The brick was red, rosier still because of the small fire in the corner with its various pots. The dais was littered with unread books. Someone had erased what was written on the chalkboard- it was blank aside from a smear of chalk dust. I resisted the urge to go over and touch it, just to make sure this was all real.

"Demyx?" Aerith said softly, startling me. I looked over quickly. Zack was watching her protectively. She took both my hands. "I'm worried for you," she continued.

That wasn't a good sign.

"I don't know exactly what will happen, but please… just be careful."

"Of course," I told her.

She hugged me quickly. "No matter what happens… don't be afraid to come home."

With that remark, Aerith stepped aside, went over to say her goodbyes to Yuffie.

I was considering what to say to Cid when Leon took me by the arm.

It wasn't a threatening gesture, just a motion that asked me silently to go outside with him. I followed. It was still dark out, the sun still barely visible as it started to rise.

Leon and I had never exactly been bosom buddies. We'd gotten past hostile and even to somewhat amicable, but there were just no grounds for us to be friends if it didn't involve work. I didn't really know him all that well. He was a good guy, I knew that much.

"…I was waiting for this opportunity," he admitted cryptically. "Now I don't know what to say."

I looked down. I didn't bother to ask him what he meant. Chances were he'd reiterate what he just told me.

"I'm sorry things started out so roughly," Leon finally told me. "You've more than proven yourself to me. To us all. So I know you're coming back. But…" and he looked inside the door.

"…I didn't want her to go either," I whispered. "She has this bizarre idea… that she'll protect me."

"She's my sister," he muttered.

"I'll bring her back," I told him. "I promise, I'll bring her back."

Leon nodded. "…In the very beginning I thought you didn't deserve her. But you're different now."

"…Thank you. I think." I offered my hand, and he shook it. We both went back inside.

"Is everyone ready?" Sora called, looking at us quickly. I nodded my affirmation, and so did the others.

Before we left, Cid said, "Wait. I've got a gift for you." He went into the back room and came back with a cardboard box. He opened the torn lid. The six of us went over to investigate.

Inside were what appeared to be watches. Normal, everyday watches, the black kind with the stop watch and light up dial. They were black in color and otherwise nondescript, each reading the time.

"…Watches?" Sora said softly. "Um… thank you."

Cid smirked. "That's not all they are." He picked one of the objects up. The screen glowed green at the touch. He picked up a second watch, held down a dial, and said, "They're communicators." His voice passed from one watch into another, then right into my ear, without actually passing through the air. I put a hand to my ear.

The others heard it, too. "…How'd you do that?" Sora asked, holding his hand out for one.

"What, invent it that way?" Cid shrugged. "It's easy." But he didn't elaborate on that, for which I was glad. "There are also regular alarm functions and so on, but there's one really important thing I want to show you." He offered the watch to me. I took it, unsure of what to do. "There's a built-in distress signal. If you're ever in serious trouble, just smash the watch face and it will alert everyone else wearing a watch, not to mention me." Cid paused. "But you can only do it once, so only use it if it's a matter of life or death."

I slipped the watch onto my wrist. The band was a heavy, waterproof material, and fitted closely to my wrist. It was lightweight; I could barely feel it at all. Cid took my hand and spun the watch dial, bringing up a selection of letters. "Put your name into it. Just press the buttons," he told me when I looked confused.

He repeated the process with the others, until he was satisfied. "Now I have you all on the board. Also, if you press the bottom right-hand button, you're in contact with anyone at either of the two computer terminals." He smiled smugly.

Sora blinked. "Wow, Cid, this is so helpful… thank you."

Cid nodded.

Sora turned. "…I guess we should all get going," he said lamely. "Well… come on, guys."

I followed, but could only look back.

The sun was starting to pour between the buildings, a rosy, post-dawn light. None of us said a word. Riku fussed with his watch. Kairi kicked a stone across the road. Yuffie nearly skipped. Sora, Axel and I were pretty much neutral.

"Do you have everything?" Sora asked without turning around. "Clothing, supplies… this is it. We're not coming back for a while."

_If ever,_ I thought, and bit my lip, before remembering, "Aerith said she was going to give me some things for healing. But she didn't say anything…"

"I've got it. It's already on the ship," Riku replied curtly. I nodded and looked at my shoes as we walked. I hadn't even had one personal exchange with Riku, but I got the strong feeling he felt I shouldn't be here. It just hung on his shoulders. It was almost as if he knew I could feel his strong emotions.

Empathy wasn't something I'd tapped into lately; I'd had too much on my mind. But Riku just seemed to _force_ me. There was something so _raw_ about him, so undefined. Yet Sora had gone to such lengths to find him again… so he couldn't be all bad.

We passed from the north section of town into a small, wooded area. You'd be surprised, what with all the stone, how much life got through anyway. Trees were anywhere they found a spot. No one even tended them, but they thrived anyway.

I took one last look at the city. The sun was rising more quickly now, because it was early summer.

Yuffie squeezed my hand. "Where are we going first?"

"A new world," Sora told her. "I've never been there. Right now it just has numbers next to it on my map." He shrugged. "Might as well start fresh." He pushed through a web of branches. "Well… there it is."

We all came into the clearing. Axel let out a low whistle.

I didn't know why, but I'd expected it to be different, more like the one he used to have. In terms of shape, it _did_ look a lot like the other ship. But this one looked more intimidating, less like its brother, which kind of resembled a Lego ship. The color scheme was red, dark gray, and black, and had no design, just the solid blocks of color. The cockpit was also a lot less prominent, more like a windshield you'd see in another plane. The ship also seemed bulkier to me, which was odd because the rest of it was so sleek.

The hull was open, a narrow bridge leading up inside of it. The ship was set on thin struts, but they held it up with no problem.

I guess it hit me then, that we were really leaving, I blinked a few times. I sighed, and gave a half smile. There was nowhere to go but forward.

Axel smiled at me reassuringly. Yuffie stroked my hand. I nodded them forward.

"Well, go on, get in, we have a long journey ahead of us," Sora said, smiling a little.

Axel tipped his head. "Fine. Whoever's there first gets the best seat." He went inside, trailing after Riku. Kairi was already inside- I could see her from the window. I hadn't spoken more than a few words to either of Sora's friends. Like Yuffie and Axel were to me, they were there for him, no matter what. I bobbed my own head.

We were the only two left now.

Yuffie smiled nervously. "I guess this is a bad time to mention I've got motion sickness?"

Guilt crashed over me. "Oh my gosh, I can't believe I forgot!" It was one of the first things she told me when we started dating. "Are you… are you going to be okay? I could… I could go back and make you some medicine really quickly."

She laughed at me. "I'm covered, thanks. I'll be fine. I had Aerith make me something."

"…You sure?"

She rolled her eyes. "Please, you think I didn't think about everything? The last thing I need is to be puking everywhere." She nodded her head towards the ship. "Come on. They're waiting for us."

She went forward into the ship, going up the bridge without a second thought.

I closed my eyes, sighed, and followed after her.

* * *

><p>An hour later and I was bored out of my mind.<p>

The first few minutes none of us could leave our seats. Once Radiant Garden was completely out of view, I could only afford to spend a few seconds thinking about the fact that I wasn't coming back. After that, I decided to occupy myself by wandering around the ship, once Sora gave the okay to move around.

It was large by Gummi ship standards, small by any other standards. There were six seats in the cockpit, with a plastic door that slid shut. The whole place was also short and narrow. I could barely stand, and the door was only about six inches wider than my hips on either side. The door opened to a small hallway. There were two narrow doors on the left side. One opened to a space for supplies that was partway closed- I could see our bags. The second was a pint-sized bathroom with only enough room for a mirror, sink, and toilet. I wrinkled my nose. It was necessary, I knew, but I didn't want to think about the possibility of ever using it.

On the right side, the door was slightly wider. It opened up into a little cabin. I was surprised. I didn't know what I had expected, but this wasn't it. If Sora believed we'd need a place to crash, then it was because we'd be here in cold weather, and winter was months from now.

The walls were gray in color, like everything else, and the thin carpet was the same color. The room was only ten or twelve feet wide at the most, and only about six or seven feet long, just long enough for the small bunks on either wall.

Only two of the bunks, the ones on the floor, were out. The top two had been pulled down, as poles could be put into the posts to make them pop out- I think they were called berths. Rolled up and clipped to the foot of each of the floor bunks were what I assumed to be bedrolls. I felt a mattress on one of the bunks. It was thin, a soft padding, but not really thick enough to be comfortable.

In between the bottom bunks, against the wall, was a cabinet, the handles clipped shut to keep the contents inside. I knocked once; it was empty. There was a small mirror above it, fixed against the wall, and above that, a window… outside. I looked in to the stars, briefly mesmerized by the beauty, before I realized that there was only a few layers of metal and plastic and some false gravity between me and there. I swallowed, pulled the window shade down, and went back into the cockpit.

Axel smirked at me. "Exploration complete?"

I rolled my eyes and shrugged.

Axel looked comfortable as can be, sprawled on his chair with a magazine in his lap. Kairi was drawing. Sora and Riku were talking about the ship. The medicine Aerith had given Yuffie worked well, but she had become drowsy and fallen asleep. I felt tired, too. I blamed the false gravity. It made me feel oddly heavy. I sat in my own seat, and before I realized what was going on, I, too, drifted down… down…

* * *

><p>I dreamt I was falling.<p>

It wasn't real falling, but super slow, no panic dream falling. I knew it wouldn't hurt, hitting the ground. The air had this thick, heavy quality, and as I did in most dreams, I felt half asleep. I looked around wearily.

All around me, aside from the platform I was standing on, was darkness, but it wasn't a malignant darkness- rather, it was almost… comforting.

I looked down at the platform. It was very wide, at least fifty feet in diameter, and round. It was a glass surface, and in varying shades of blue. The platform had to be strong because it held my weight just fine. I glanced around still more, eyes wheeling, and went forward.

Weakly, I gasped. In the stained glass was my own face, slightly turned away, staring into the distance. My eyes were vacant. My hair was slightly longer than it was now, and my left ear was pierced, which was odd because it wasn't right now. I touched my own ear. The glass me was also wearing a dark shirt, without a pattern.

I was confused, but it was merely a dream. I noticed the small circles besides mine on the glass. The faces were all turned away from mine… and scratched, the faces with gashes turn into them. I thought it was part of the design until I crouched over one. Powdery colored glass came off in my hand. The glass was sharp.

Despite the deformities, I could easily recognize the faces. To my left were Axel and Yuffie. To my right was Sora, who had been scratched so badly the only easily discernible feature was his hair. And below Sora was… was…

Xemnas. Or Xehanort, it didn't matter, but what scared me more than anything was that aside from my own face, his was the only one that wasn't touched at all.

My heart was pounding. Even in my dream state, I knew that. I didn't understand this place, or what it meant, but I knew that he shouldn't be here, and my mind understood the symbolism of the gashes, even if I didn't.

I took a step back, hand clutching my chest. Instead of feeling asleep, I felt too alert, senses too sharp and intense.

I felt myself slamming into what felt like a stonewall. I turned around, only to find that a sort of pedestal had appeared- not one, but two, each easily tall enough for me to climb on. The one on the other side of the platform was bright white. The one behind me was black.

There were inscriptions on both; the text on the other was too small too see. I jumped up to get a better view.

The text on the black pedestal was white and in English.

_Paladin_

_The darkness grows nearer every day. The best way to arm yourself against it… is to join with it._

I stumbled backwards as if I'd been shocked, shaking my head. What did _any _of this mean? At this point I knew it wasn't a random dream. This _meant something._ But what?

I went over to the white pedestal, hoping it would give me some answers. The white pedestal was more ornate, rather than the black, which was roughly hewn. The writing on this one was black, and in Japanese.

_Mage_

_You claim light is your path, but you know not what it means. Clarity is what you seek, but confusion is what you shall receive._

I blinked. What was my mind trying to tell me, that is, if this was even a dream? I felt too awake, too _real_ to be dreaming. I remembered with a shock my conversation with Luxord. He'd said I'd have to choose.

I almost didn't believe it. It seemed too overdone, too _clichéd._ The whole light-and-darkness battle had touched everyone I knew. Was it my turn?

But how? I'd never really felt drawn to darkness, not ever, not even when I was a Nobody and had control of it at my fingertips. Ever since I became human again, the light was so close, so near, that it was hard to lose sight of it.

Without sound, a gray pedestal had formed right in between the two. I went to it without thought. The design was plain; neither completely undefined nor too perfect. The writing on this one was in blue, and was in a combination of English and Japanese that hurt my eyes and mind to try and read coherently.

_The young nocturne_

(No, no, it was a different character, but my eyes were swimming and it was hard to see)  
><em>The <em>_**Eternal**__ nocturne can only survive if_

(If I… what?)

Then something about **darkness** and _light_ and I couldn't read it and…

The ground shattered and I was falling again.

* * *

><p>"Demyx? Demyx? Wake up!"<p>

I opened my eyes with a gasp, only to find Axel's face a few inches from mine. I screamed and punched him.

"Ow, what was that for? You little f…"

"_Axel._" I heard Yuffie's voice now. My head had stopped reeling, but my heart was pounding and I was sweating. She smiled at me. "You must have been having a nightmare or something. You seemed pretty freaked out."

Numbly, I nodded, both my hands gripping my own shirt collar.

From behind them, I heard Sora too. "We're here." He paused, smiled at me. "Are you ready to see a whole new world?"

* * *

><p>Eh, first of all I really want to apologize for not updating in so long! I don't know what happened... this chapter was about 13 complete before I got hit with a crippling writer's block... but the odd part was, it was only for this story, and not any of the other projects I'm currently working on.

I also want to know how everyone's holidays went. It sucks that they're over, but hopefully a routine will keep my updating regularly. I hope to get the first world done soon, now that I know which one I'm doing and kind of how, but I still need to watch the rest of the actual program. Here's a hint- it's familiar. But nope, you'll have to wait in suspense!

I'm just starting to notice that I'm picking songs to define the mood for each chapter, unofficially a soundtrack if you like. While the lyrics might not match up with the context, the actual _sound_ of the song seems just to set the stage for me. I might do this for every chapter, or just for some, I don't really know. Anyway, the songs for this chapter are...

1) "Blue Ridge Mountains" Fleet Foxes  
>2) "Pyro" Kings of Leon<p>

Thank you **_littlev123, Wolven24KH, HeartsGuardianSoul L.D.C, TheChel, Mystical,_**and **_SoraIsMyHomeboy_** for reviewing last chapter and bearing with me. Also, Happy New Year!  
>Next update: Tentatively, hopefully, January 12th<p> 


	13. In which I get kidnapped

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Chapter Twelve

~In which~  
>I get kidnapped<p>

I blinked and tried to bring my heart rate back under control. I swallowed convulsively. "…Right. I'm sorry."

"Hey, no problem," Sora said offhandedly. "It's been a long trip. It's about time we just got out there." He stood from his seat, and I did too, gently pulling away from my friends. "I guess it's time to break the news that the coordinates aren't any more specific than this."

My face dropped. Riku accurately voiced our collective thought. "Oh, you've got to be freaking _kidding _me!"

Sora smiled sheepishly, put one hand behind his head. Kairi crossed her arms. His grin fell somewhat. "Well… we should be glad we even have this much of a lead! Do you know how hard it is to keep this all organized? At least we're not just searching randomly."

"We might as well be," Axel snapped. "None of us have been here, as you've said. So none of us know just how big this world is, and _where_ that key might be hidden."

"He's right," Yuffie said. "If this thing is valuable, it'll be well-hidden. Objects like that- with a sort of magical power to them- will be pretty disguised. If someone hid it, there will probably be some sort of test, to prove that we're really the rightful owners. If it's hidden on its own, it will be a lot harder." She shook her head.

"We really have no idea what we're doing," Kairi said, staring at her shoes. "But we couldn't stay still any longer. We _had_ to act… and this was the best option."

I shook my head, too.

"…Right. What's the best plan of action? Do we all go together? Or do we split into groups?" Yuffie asked, her face expressionless, but her eyes were eager.

"Splitting up might cover the most ground… but it might be the most problematic. I don't know how large this place is. And it's not like we can just teleport from one place to another," Sora considered.

Yuffie sighed. "I _can_ teleport, but it's a limited ability, and it doesn't work that well with more than just me."

Sora nodded. "…Good to note. Anyway, maybe we should just… split into groups of three, explore small bits of this world at a time and… rendezvous by sundown?" He shrugged, his hand hovering at the back of his head. "That makes the most sense to me."

Riku sighed. "I guess it'll do."

There was a brief frenzy as we gathered supplies for the day- canteen, knives, money, some food for each of us. Everything was placed in a small knapsack that weighed less than ten pounds.

Riku opened the hatch… and we set foot onto the new world.

To me, it just looked like a sort of clearing in a forest, almost exactly like the one we'd just left, but the trees were wilder, much more overgrown. A residue of dead and decomposing leaves squished under my feet. I looked around. The color here seemed less saturated, paler. I blinked and looked up. The sky was a pale, perfect blue, so unlike the pale violet I was used to.

"Oh, wow," Yuffie gasped. "Look at the sky. It's so blue!" She laughed and twirled, and I smiled despite myself.

"That's right, you've never been to another world," Kairi said conversationally.

"Eh, it's nothing special," Axel muttered, stretching. "I've seen places like this before."

"But why is it so much like home?" Yuffie asked, her eyes wide with wonder. "Like… why can we still breathe? Why is the gravity more or less the same?"

Axel opened his mouth, but Riku cut him off. "That's easy. Each individual world was once part of a much bigger one. Each world developed differently… but we can survive easily on each one. Usually, anyway." There was an odd cadence to his voice, or lack of it would be better. He seemed utterly unenthused.

"Okay!" Sora clapped his hands together. "Groups of three. Riku, Kairi, and I. Demyx, Yuffie and Axel. Easy enough, right?"

We all looked at each other and shrugged.

"I want to stick together until we leave the forest. But from then on, let's try to meet back at the clearing at sunset. Mostly what we want to do is recon, but try to take out any Heartless if there are any." He paused. "It's very possible that none of the natives speak our language. But try to interact as best as you can."

Axel waved his hand. "Are you kidding? We've done this sort of thing tons of times, right, Demyx?"

"Erm… yeah." And it was true. The Organization had provided me with very valuable skills, at least, when taking this journey into consideration. In fact, I was pretty sure we all knew what we were doing, even Yuffie, though she did lack actual experience. But her extra years on the Restoration Committee hadn't hindered her skills at all.

In fact, this journey didn't seem to be very much different from the Organization at all. We were going to different worlds, gathering information and defeating Heartless to achieve our goal, for the greater good. Dismissing everything else, and exchanging "greater good" for "sake of stealing power" and it would be exactly the same.

I sighed and looked at my wrist. Looking closely, you could see the scars were the tracker bracelet had cut into my skin when I was a prisoner. As much as I had tried to heal it, the scars had never faded.

"…Right. That was stupid of me not to remember. Well, all the easier then." He smiled. "Let's go, then!"

We split up not long after that.

I was surprised, really, with the similarities between Radiant Garden and here. Other than the purple sky, and a lot more undergrowth, biologically the two worlds seemed identical.

I looked around, too, with wide eyes. The sun fell through the heavy blanket of leaves, making everything seem greenish. Even the _wildlife_ seemed similar. I could have sworn I saw a chipmunk.

"Why is it so… similar?" Yuffie asked.

"The worlds were all one once," Axel explained again, and I felt stupid for not remembering. "It was a long time ago."

Finally, we reached the ends of the forest. Contrary to my home, the forest didn't give directly to the city. Instead, a long dirt road stretched on for a while. I sighed. Would we even have time to explore? Or would we reach civilization just in time to have to turn back?

Was there even a civilization here?

We all stopped for a moment and looked around.

The sun was bright, and hung almost directly overhead. I shaded my eyes and regretted that I hadn't brought sunglasses.

Axel made a face. "Great. Well, let's follow the stupid road."

* * *

><p>Two hours later I'd had about enough.<p>

It wasn't that I was tired. I'd had to walk about ten miles a day in the Organization, so it wasn't the physical strain at all. And the road didn't really get steep- the slopes were all gentle.

But it was endless. No matter how far we walked, we just met more roads. I didn't see a single person either, or houses, or anything to give a sign that people even lived here. They had to have at one point; the road was well trodden and there were even faint imprints of wagon tracks every once in a while.

And the heat. The heat, too.

Unfortunately, it seemed to be even later in summer here than home, about July from how it felt. There was also not a single tree, or shrub, or anything, to give shade on the road.

Naturally, this made us all cranky.

"How much longer?" Yuffie asked for at least the fifth time.

"You can't be tired _already_," Axel spat.

I tried to ignore them,

"It's so hot out!" She complained. "I just want to sit in the shade for a few minutes!"

"Where?" Axel gestured vaguely to the open fields around us. "Go on, go look for shade!"

"Guys! Just shut up!" I snapped. "I know it's hot, okay? I know we've been walking for a while. But complaining isn't going to do anything!"

They both regarded me with raised eyebrows. I shouldered my bag and stared at them. "Well? It's really going to suck if you guys argue the entire time." I shook my head and turned before continuing down the road.

Yuffie ran to catch up to me. "Hey, I'm sorry."

"It's fine. It's just the heat." I shrugged passively.

"…Heat?" Yuffie asked. "It's not warm anymore…" She looked up, and so did I.

I blinked. What had only seconds ago been bright and clear was now choking on dark clouds. The air temperature had dropped at least twenty degrees. I shivered, which was an odd sensation considering I still had sweat drying on my skin.

Axel caught up to us and stared at the sky, too. "Here, too?"

"It doesn't surprise me," I said. "If these really are Xemnas' keys, it makes sense for him to plant them in worlds he's touched."

The dark clouds overhead seemed to boil. I tensed.

"I don't like this at all," Yuffie murmured. "Let's get out of here."

And then the sky fell.

Not literally, of course, but the boiling clouds spiraled to the ground. I realized then that they weren't clouds, but darkness, thick and heavy and smoke-like. I inhaled sharply, tasting darkness.

The darkness spiraled around me. It was utter, absolute chaos- I couldn't see more than a few inches in front of my face before the whirlwind cut everything off.

I reached out, tried to grasp at it to get the spinning to stop, but there was nothing to grab at- it had no substance.

The whirlwind stopped. Disoriented, the world spun around me for a moment, the brightness searing into my eyes, causing them to water. Still partially blind, I looked around for my friends and saw they were only a few feet away, both of them also dizzy. I swayed and fell to my knees for a second until the world had stopped spinning.

A shadow fell on me, not a shadow of darkness, but a regular shadow. I looked up and came eye-to-eye with a girl.

And she was pointing a sword at me. Instinctively, I sucked in a breath.

In a monotone voice, she said, "Put your hands up and stand. Slowly."

I did so, chancing a quick glance at Axel and Yuffie. Two other people- both male- guarded them as well with a similar stance. I stared at the girl with wide eyes. Had they been part of the darkness, or had it been a spell to distract us? Were we breaking some law? Was this their territory?

I wondered it briefly. They spoke English- at least, she did. She was tall for a woman, dressed in a sort of robe that had long slits in the sleeves. The embroidery on it was hard to look at- the pictures seemed to move. Her hair was brown and dull. I almost thought she was human until I saw her face.

All the features on her face were normal… aside from one. Her eyes. They were gold, the same color gold as Xigbar's before he became human again… and the same as Saïx's before he died. Her ears, like theirs had been, were pointed, and her pupils were reduced to slits. I swallowed. Was she… a Nobody?

She smirked. I tried to look towards my friends, but she pushed her sword ever closer. I felt its tip touch my chest.

Now what?

Fighting would be impossible. She'd stab me before I could move.

I deliberated reaching for my watch, but I doubted that I'd be able to reach Sora- besides, they'd notice. These people… who were they, what did they want with us?

Who was I kidding? These had to be more of those humanoid Heartless, or Nobodies… but the only one I'd seen so far looked like an Organization member…

I couldn't work it out right now, not as I was. Thoughts were flying through my head, but none of them I could fully grasp.

The girl savored my terror.

I swallowed again. My mouth had gone dry. Finally, I managed, "Who… are you?"

The girl whispered, in a language I seemed eerily to remember, "**Take them**."

Before I could register what was going on, consciousness was tugged away from me.

* * *

><p>When I woke up, I was tied to a chair.<p>

It took me a few seconds to fully realize the situation. It was completely dark in here; I couldn't see a thing. As the fuzz faded from my mind, I noticed I was more than just retrained- my ankles were shackled, and I was gagged and blindfolded.

Naturally, I started to panic. The thoughts were running too quickly through my mind to fully process.

I heard footsteps. I was breathing heavily. The footsteps came closer- I heard heeled boots, meaning that my captor was most likely a woman, probably the one who had threatened me earlier.

And I'd actually had _hope_ that this would be easy. But no, we'd been taken within the first three hours.

The others. Where were Axel and Yuffie? I looked around, but in vain. I could only see the back of my blindfold.

The footsteps crept behind me. My heart was hammering. Was she going to kill me now? It didn't help that I had exceptionally good hearing. I heard her unsheathe a knife. I tensed. It was too soon.

I heard a soft slicing sound. The blindfold fell off and the gag was pulled from my mouth.

The lighting in here was dim. I had trouble focusing. The restraints over my chest were too snug for comfort.

It was then I decided to remember my training. In the Organization, one of the first real skills I remembered learning was taking a prisoner. The binding was simple, but I couldn't recall how to slip free. Of course when I needed to actually remember being a Nobody, none of the skills came to mind.

I drew in a deep breath to scream, only to feel someone slap me hard enough across the face that my eyes rolled.

"Don't you dare," the woman hissed.

I looked towards the sound of her voice, my eyes struggling to focus. I inhaled again. "What do you want?" My voice was low and shaky.

"I know who you are," she continued smoothly. I had to strain to hear her. I swallowed.

I couldn't say anything. The words could have many implications, but the one that came first and foremost to my mind was… "Where are the others?" I asked instead.

"Your friends?" She practically spat the last word. "As far as I know, alive." She laughed a little.

I swallowed again. What could I even do? My wrists were bound to my sides, so I couldn't reach my watch. As I was, I was utterly useless.

But my powers, they still had to work, didn't they? I wondered if I could cut the ropes with water. The room was so dry. I tried to call the water into existence, coaxing it to appear behind me. As her voice came from in front of me, it was unlikely she could see it.

Her hand clamped over my mouth and nose. She knew what I was trying to get at. Stupid! So stupid! If she knew who I was, then she knew about my powers. I couldn't breathe, and tried to stop myself from panicking, but it was impossible, as the ropes were tightening around my chest still more.

I choked. She laughed; I could tell she liked my anxiety. She bent down and whispered into my ear. "You should be lucky you're wanted alive, or we'd be having fun by now."

I had no idea what her definition of 'fun' was, but I didn't want to find out.

She let go and I took a few deep breaths to steady myself.

"What are you?" I asked, still fighting for breath. "A Heartless? A Nobody? Both? Neither?"

She paused, and smiled. I felt a shudder rip through me. The woman sat down on the floor; I heard her cape swish across the floor. "Now we wait," she said.

"Wait for what?" I asked sourly.

"Wait for redemption. Wait for freedom. Wait for the beginning."

I swallowed. That was about as much as expected.

Her eyes glowed brightly yellow in the darkness for a second. "He's here," she said breathily. I heard her get up and leave the room, the door slamming with a metallic _thunk._

He's… here. My mind reeled in panic. He's here.

Automatically, I knew.

The door opened again. I heard the woman's footsteps and a second set. They conversed in a sort of hissing language that set my hair on end. Instinctively, I struggled with the ropes binding my body.

"M-master? Did I… did I do well?" The woman asked in English, her voice reverent and eager. If I didn't know better, I would think she was a student trying to prove her work to a teacher.

"Oh yes, very well. Not so much as a scratch on his head."

My pulse accelerated. That voice… that voice… "No," I breathed.

"Master," she continued in that falsetto. "What about… our reward?"

I heard him turn. There was an odd metallic sound. I heard her scream, a sound that made me feel like my eardrums were going to burst. I squirmed, trying to free a hand to cover my ears with. I heard a thud on the ground as she fell over.

My breath came in quick gasps. No. Not already. Not now.

A light came on over my head. Dim, surrounding me with its pale aura. The figure stepped into this light.

"Hello, Demyx."

It was Xehanort.

I screamed.

* * *

><p>So I apologize for the long break. There's no reason for me to give you any excuse; but on my list are writer's block, school, and procrastination. But I really am sorry :(. How long has it been how, four full weeks?<p>

I've also been really focused on an original project, which personally I hold in a higher standing than fanfiction, even though I love writing fanfic and I love all you guys so much :). You can find it on my deviantART if you're really interested.

Also, I made a Tumblr, if anyone's interested. I'm under the name **Alice's Lantern.**

(Of course, I have no right to ask considering I screwed you out of three chapters, and gave you a cliffhanger in return XD.)

I can't say when exactly I'll post next. Hopefully within a week or two, as I just finished this yesterday.

Thank you **_Wolven24KH, DJ36521, TheChel, littlev123, Mystical, SoraIsMyHomeboy, HeartsGuardianSoul L.D.C, _**and Anna for being patient with me these past few weeks! I really appreciate it :). 


	14. In which the conflict begins

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Chapter Thirteen

~In which~

The conflict begins

He laughed at me.

My heart was pounding. Blood geysered in my veins.

What now? What was I supposed to do, or say? I was tied up; trapped in these ropes. My friends were off somewhere with an unknown fate. It was likely he'd just kill me now.

So much for saving the world.

I sighed and looked down. Why did we ever think we could do it? We'd been blind to the progress since the start. The darkness… it was too strong to defeat now. Six lights were too feeble in the darkness.

With nothing to lose, I looked at him with wide, unafraid eyes.

On a second glance, he didn't look so strong. Something, something vital, had positively shattered inside of him. There was just an air of utter instability that I had never known in Xemnas.

But he wasn't Xemnas. He was Xehanort. Did names really matter? He was the same person regardless- and he wanted me, for stupid, unclear reasons.

Physically, he looked more or less the same. His hair was still in the same style, but it looked closer to white than its usual silver. He didn't wear the cloak- instead, he wore a black shirt, tight fitting, and gray pants with wide legs. There were bands on his wrists, and a piece of armor on his shoulder.

Then, I noticed the markings.

Once I saw them, it was hard _not_ to notice them, little blue markings all over his arms, jagged like lightning and dark. They were inside the whites of his eyes, too. I didn't know what to make of them. Maybe they were part of his instability.

"Resigned already?" He said, and it was the same low voice I was used to hearing in my nightmares. "That's too bad… I was really looking forward to a fight this time."

I said nothing.

"We should just put the past behind us," he continued. "Things did not get off to a good start, did they?"

I let out an odd gasp of a laugh. "Oh, you don't think? The Organization is almost entirely wiped out- the rest are on my side."

"You think I care about them?" He asked. "My Nobodies were accidents- a mere by-product of my research. No, I don't need the constant backstabbing. I don't need a rebellion. I only need servants."

"Is that what she was for?" The corpse of my original captor was in the corner. I wanted to vomit.

"Yes, and others like her." He casually went over to a table, picked something up and examined it. He brought it over and walked behind me. Fear prickled up my spine. I felt something cold and metallic graze lightly alongside my throat and almost tenderly lift up a piece of hair. "But you… you were the prize."

"I still don't believe that," I managed. "There's just something… so haphazard about that."

"You'd be right. I didn't want it to be you." Xehanort paused. "I wanted it to Sora. It was perfect in my mind- the Keyblade master, young and malleable and so unsure. But the birth of Roxas… complicated things. So I moved to my next brightest light. You."

I took a shaky breath.

"Once I thought about it, it all made sense. I had never meant for you to be anything more than a backup. But I see now you were the best choice all along. Your humanity has only made things better for me."

"Then why did you try to destroy me?" I asked in a low voice. "Remember, when I first became human? It was your goal to kill me. I thought it still was. Why do you need me _now_?"

He smiled. "I had to give you a reason to fight, and survive. I had to give you a reason to come back and try to kill me." He flipped the dagger. "Believe me, if I'd really wanted to, I could have shattered your soul completely on the spot. But I didn't need it shattered… I merely needed to weaken it."

A thought nagged at me, but I couldn't quite grasp it in my terror. A page of a book floated to mind, in the library where I had first found the key, but I couldn't remember what it said.

"And you are perfect now. Young. Strong. You have potential to be as powerful as a god, Demyx, I daresay it. You're on that path now, even without darkness. But imagine… what you could become."

"I will _never_ go to your side."

"Oh, I know it. Not voluntarily."

What was he trying to tell me? Was there a way he could control me? How, without darkness?

Xehanort touched the dagger to my nose. It was such a light touch, but I felt it resonate through my body with a painful ring. In some deep part of my mind, somehow I knew that sound to be a high A harmonic, though how that would help me at the moment I had no idea.

An icy pain seared through me. Everything went white. The ringing stopped. A spot on the back of my neck burned. My eyes were unfocused. "Then what was Kingdom Hearts for, huh?" I spat, breathless.

"It was just the answer for my question." He set the dagger back onto the table. "I think you're coming along quite nicely."

"What do you mean?"

He stepped closer. "Just go back to sleep, Demyx. Close your eyes."

"What? No!" But I was growing heavier despite myself. Exhaustion tempered my movements, made everything slow down. "…No…"

"Good night, my friend. I hope to see you soon."

* * *

><p>I woke with a start, facedown on a dirt road. I gasped and inhaled dust. As I coughed, I realized that Yuffie and Axel were also next to me, both sprawled on the ground as well.<p>

"Did we… fall asleep?" Yuffie asked, dusting herself off.

"It must be the heat," Axel said.

"…I had a really weird dream…"

"About what?" Axel asked her.

"Funny, I can't remember now…" She had a confused look on her face. "Demyx, are you okay? You're staring at me funny."

I shook my head quickly. "…Yeah, I'm fine." Had that really all been a dream? It was hot enough for all of us to get lethargic, but to fall asleep in the middle of a road? I gave Axel a significant look. He raised an eyebrow at me.

Yuffie put a hand on my neck. Her fingers were cool and dusty. "Where did you get this? Is it dirt or something?" She brushed away my hair.

"…Where did I get what?" My heart was beating with dread.

"This… mark…" She rubbed at it, trying to get it off. "What is it, a tattoo?"

Axel leaned over. "You got a tattoo? When were you planning to tell me?"

I swatted them both away. "I didn't get a tattoo!"

Axel squinted. "It looks kind of like a swastika… dude, that's just wrong."

Yuffie took her bag off her shoulder and pulled a compact mirror out of the pocket. "Here. Look."

It took a lot of awkward head craning, but finally I had the mirror so I could see. They were right. On my neck, right below my ear, was a blue four-pointed star with the same pattern of the markings on Xehanort's arms. It reminded me of a crack. I gave Yuffie back her mirror and touched the marking. "…Why do you even have that, anyway?" I asked to diffuse the tension.

She clutched the mirror to her chest. "These are really handy, okay? You know… for starting fires and stuff…"

"Oh please, I saw you totally obsessing earlier…" Axel said, then made a kissy face, "'Oh, I don't know if I'll ever be pretty enough…'"

Yuffie slapped him hard and hid the object in her bag.

"Ouch… guy can't get away with anything around here…"

I still had a hand on the marking. It was slightly warmer than the skin around it.

Axel stood, stretched, and dusted himself off. "Well, come on guys, we might as well at least try to get some progress made. Wonder what Sora's going to say if he finds out…"

So I stood too, and we walked off towards civilization. But the dream, or whatever it was, didn't leave my mind.

* * *

><p>It was hard to concentrate from there on out. I numbly followed my friends down the path, but I didn't take part in their conversation, nor did I even pay attention along the road.<p>

I kept thinking back to it. I felt very much mindfucked, but it didn't matter whether or not that was a dream. I knew undoubtedly that the exchange had actually happened; the mark on my neck burned.

I didn't like the way it made me feel- vulnerable and exposed. I _should_ know what he was trying to do; he was definitely hinting at something I already knew about, but my mind refused to remember.

Yuffie squeezed my hand, starting me from my reverie. "You've been quiet ever since we woke up. Is something wrong?" I could tell she knew something was up, but I didn't feel like going into it, not now, with the summer sun above us, and the mission ahead of us. I shrugged.

"Well, if you feel like talking," she offered.

"But… it's just… when we were sleeping, didn't you_ dream_?" I asked.

"Of course, I told you I did, but I just can't remember anything, so I doubt it was important," she said, shaking her head. "Why? Did you have a nightmare? You've been having an awful lot of those lately…" she looked concerned. Yuffie knew that bad dreams were never a good sign.

I cleared my throat. "I'm fine. It's not important right now… I'll tell you later." She didn't remember. I remembered the "dream" as clearly as anything. Probably another one of his tricks.

Yuffie trailed off. "…If you say so."

"Hey, look. And I thought we were never going to get there…" Axel said, pointing. I had almost forgotten he was even there.

At the base of the hill was a city.

* * *

><p>For a moment, the city reminded me of home. The buildings were similar to the ones at home in architecture. But I could see one major difference from here, well, two, actually. Firstly, it wasn't colorful. Everything was done in industrial shades of gray and brown. Second, smokestacks on top of the industrial buildings belched smoke and pollution. I could see and smell the haze from here.<p>

"That's disgusting," Yuffie gaped. "Don't they know how bad that is?"

"They must be pretty early in development," Axel said darkly. "I hate worlds like these."

I sighed. "Do you think there's time to go exploring?"

"I don't know," Axel told me. "This world might have a different set of hours than we're used to."

Again, seemingly poor planning on Sora's part. I looked at my watch. It was a little after one. "Why don't we have lunch, and then we can figure out a plan?"

"Sounds good to me. I'm hungry." Yuffie stretched.

There were trees closer to the city, so at least we had some shade. Once I actually looked through my things, I noticed the rations were pretty poor for a day- a sandwich and some dried fruit for a snack. Better than the Organization, though, when we'd been given nothing for missions that could last for days. Best to be self-sufficient, they said.

Maybe it was because of Xehanort, but I kept thinking more and more about my Nobody days. They once felt like they happened so long ago, almost like a long-faded dream, but now it was right under my skin again. My wrist itched. No matter how I tried to distance myself from that train of thought, I kept drawing parallels from missions now to missions then. And this was only the beginning.

I felt paranoid, and unsettled instead of ready for this mission, despite the training I'd already undergone. My Organization skills would be more than helpful in this case rather than detrimental. Still, several hours into the journey and already I wanted to go home.

Axel nudged me. "Cheer up, okay? This could be fun."

I shrugged. "I'd rather be home."

Yuffie scowled. "And I'd rather _they_ not burn coal. Ew."

"But it seems like a good place to hide. A small city like this, crime's bound to be through the roof. Everyone's just going to be surviving. They're not going to be curious or trying to better things for themselves." My recon skills were rust. True, my white magic training had only refined my deduction skills, but I felt like it wasn't going to be enough. I stuffed the sandwich wrapping into my bag and shoulder it with a sigh. "Let's go now. We haven't got much time left before we have to turn back."

We continued into the city. It seemed, to me, to be towards the very end of its own Industrial Revolution, full of technology and ideas but still ignorant to the effects on people and the environment. When we saw the people from a distance, it only confirmed it- they were dressed in clothing I had only seen in Radiant Garden's history books.

It was amazing, I mused, how similarly the worlds could develop. It was true, a whole lot more were entirely different, with different languages, different religions, even different properties of magic, but most of the ones I had been to carried an aura of utter familiarity. I never felt like I was truly on an alien planet; but true, I had never felt at home.

It was a simple explanation- the worlds were once one. Still, I was amazed anyway.

As we came in closer to the city, I first became aware of the chaos.

The city was in upheaval. There was so much going on that no one noticed us in our outlandish, modern clothing. We all sunk into the shadows. Axel and I had been trained to do this sort of thing; Yuffie had learned as part of her ninja training, so she was actually better than both of us at blending in.

"Hey, you! Stop! Thief!" Someone yelled. I heard footsteps, too. They were running.

"They speak English," Yuffie whispered. "Where are we, anyway?"

Axel shushed her. We poked a little more into the street; we were able to see what was going on, but were essentially invisible to anyone who wasn't looking.

Venders' crates smashed as the thief struggled to jump over them. He or she was dressed from head to toe in thick, oriental-looking robes. Nothing of his or her face was visible aside from a slit for the eyes, and even that looked dark. The thief held its prize above its head, a stupid idea if you asked me.

The object the thief had was what appeared to be a large glass orb, maybe about as big as a grapefruit and perfectly round. Something shimmered inside the orb like liquid glitter.

I was taken back to two years ago, when Yuffie had showed me the white materia. "Déjà vu," I murmured. I knew immediately the object was important- it was more than just some bauble to pawn.

I noticed then that the hands clutching the orb weren't covered, and more than that, they weren't _normal_. The fingers didn't even have knuckles, or nails- the whole hand was jagged and claw-like, and the skin was black, black as darkness.

"It's a Heartless," I realized.

"You could see it _that_ quickly?" Yuffie asked, impressed.

"Come on, we have to go stop that thing!"

"Demyx, wait…" Axel began, but it was too late. I crashed directly into someone who had been passing in front of the alleyway.

I was mortified. "I am so sorry."

The man stumbled. "Not a problem," he told me quickly, and was gone, chasing after it.

"No! Sir, you'll get hurt!" I called after him.

"Who was that?" Yuffie asked.

"I don't know. Don't care. We have to go after them!" Axel said unnecessarily.

We took off. The whole exchange had happened while the Heartless was going down the street.

The heavy, polluted air clouded my lungs, but I kept pushing myself forward. What was it about the orb? If the Heartless wanted it, it had to be valuable to the person who was leading it… obviously it was being controlled by Xehanort or his lieutenants, because anything with intelligence would realize that the orb needed to be hidden…

My mind wheeled with all the deductions and I kind of wished I could stop thinking.

I caught up before my friends did. My training had taken over- I grabbed what I assumed was the Heartless' shoulder. We both fell- the orb clattered to the ground. I expected it to shatter, but it glowed brightly and emitted a high ringing sound.

I saw Axel and Yuffie reaching for me in my peripheral before everything disappeared in a flash of white.

* * *

><p>-Giggles-<br>Well, I don't know what to say, other than the fact that I'm only a day late this time. XD  
>I'm really going to have fun with this world. I don't think that anyone can guess what it is. I've already mangled the beginning somewhat, so I hope I can keep it canon for the remainder XD.<p>

I also have a Tumblr now, if anyone's interested- my username or whatever is **The Lantern of Alice**.

Thank you **_Wolven24KH, Mystical, littlev123, IenzosShuggoCharra, TheChel,_ _SoraIsMyHomeboy_,** and Anna for reviewing last chapter.

****I hope to update again next week!


	15. In which we get saved by tribesmen

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Chapter Fourteen

In which

~We get saved by tribesmen~

I woke up to the feeling of snow under my cheek.

Snow. Snow?

I sat up. It was impossible for me to get hypothermia, but I was surprised that I didn't feel cold. My body temperature must have lowered enough to withstand the cold. I touched the snow again. It was fine, powdery.

Where was I?

I looked around. All around me were large, round circlets of ice with snow on them. Some were larger than others, but in between all of them were chasms. I could see down into darkness. I crept back into the center of the ice floe and hugged my knees to my chest.

Was I alone? Where were my friends? Were they here too?

I didn't know what to do. The chances were great that I was stranded, here, alone, wherever 'here' was. That orb had to have been a transport device.

"Hello?" I called weakly. "Is anyone there?"

There was silence. My breath formed a heavy fog in the air.

This had to be miles away from the city, if not a different world entirely. The sky was still blue, but the air was beautifully clean, easy to breathe. I tried not to hyperventilate.

I remembered that my watch was a communication device. Cid had showed us all how to use one- it was much easier than it looked. I spun the dial, found Sora's name.

"Sora, Sora, it's me, Demyx. We've got a problem."

I heard nothing but static.

"Hello?" I said again feebly.

I spun the dial again, to Yuffie's name. "Yuffie? Where are you?"

No static this time, but just empty silence, like she couldn't hear me.

I backed out of the program and stood up slowly, dusting the snow from my jeans. I tried not to think about the possibility of me never leaving here. I had to find civilization. Hopefully there would be humans around, or some intelligent life form that could help me, language barrier aside.

I got a really good look of the world. In the distance, there were trees, but they were unlike any tree I'd seem before- the trunks were twisted all up the side like a piece of licorice. The bark was a normal color. All I could see so far were the trees and the ice.

I had to get over to the forest, to the solid ground. I jumped from floe to floe, hoping I wouldn't slip and plummet to my death. I wasn't afraid of heights, but the bottom was so far down it was hard to see.

I thought back to what happened before I'd blacked out. The Heartless, and that orb. Was that the thing that brought me here? How did it work, as a transportation device? If the Heartless wanted it, it must be powerful, dark, or both.

I was just so confused.

Would I ever be able to get back? Well, if it worked in reverse, I had to get the orb, and as far as I knew, the Heartless had it.

The first thing I had to do was try to find civilization, or shelter, or some mixture of the two.

I set off walking, jumping from ice floe to ice floe, and trying not to imagine what it would be like to fall. When I finally reached actual land, it seemed to be midday and I was shivering.

"Fuck," I muttered, just to be able to say something, and swore again more loudly.

"Demyx?" Someone called.

I turned, heart beating quickly. "Hello? Who's there?"

I heard jumping and scrambling footsteps. Axel emerged from behind one of the trees. I sighed with relief. He came easily over to solid land, steam curling off his skin, melted ice behind his footsteps clear down to the stone of the floes.

"Thank god," I muttered. "Have you seen anybody else? Do you have any idea where we are?"

He looked around, somewhat dazed. "I don't think I've seen a place like this," he told me. "But yet… I feel like I've been here before, if that makes any sense." He paused.

I bit my lip. "If the world we just came from was in the Industrial Revolution, do you think this world could possibly have gone back in time, too? Maybe we have gone here, just not in the… present."

Axel brushed me off. "That's not important right now. We just have to focus on getting back and finding the others."

"Right." I rubbed my arms. "Did you see Yuffie? I tried reaching her with my watch… but there was no connection."

Axel swore too. "These things are supposed to keep us connected no matter what, and they're crapping out already?" He turned to me. "Try it again."

I pressed my fingers to the dial, found her name, tried putting a message through, but there was nothing.

"Try reaching me," he said slowly.

I did, and there was a signal. "I hope she's not hurt," I whispered.

"Maybe she just lost the thing, or is out of range. You know better than anyone that she can take care of herself."

"Yeah, I know, but she doesn't have the training we have. She's still unfamiliar with other worlds."

"We can look," Axel told me. "But we have to find shelter soon. You're seriously shivering."

It was probably just my body shifting back into waking mode. "I'll be fine. You know I can't get hypothermia."

He still looked concerned, but shrugged.

For the time being we wandered the icy forest, calling Yuffie's name and checking our watches. We tried Sora again too, but to no avail. It was starting to feel kind of hopeless, and night was starting to fall. I began to panic.

"She'll freeze," I sputtered.

"Girl knows how to set a fire."

"But there's no kindle in sight." I might have had a personal heater with me, but she wouldn't, and she wasn't even wearing long jeans like I was. "I don't know this place, Axel."

He squeezed my shaking hand, warming it a little. "Demyx, remember the golden rule."

He was right, I'd forgotten. In these types of situations it was more important over almost everything to remain calm. I sighed once, but the worry didn't fade. "Right."

Night was starting to fall. We had been walking for hours and I was beginning to get convinced we were walking in circles. Everything looked the same. Eventually Axel whipped out his pocketknife and gouged a hole in a few trees as markers, but they seemed to either disappear or blend into the twisted trunk.

Axel kept a tight hold on my hand at all times, not to keep us together, but to try to get a little warmth into me. I knew I couldn't die from it, but being this cold wasn't healthy. I felt him using his fire magic to protect me and felt a little embarrassed that I couldn't do it myself.

Suddenly, behind us I heard a rustling.

I didn't know what exactly it was, but whatever was going on was ominous and made my heart fly into my throat. We both looked around cautiously, ready to take out our weapons at any moment. If the Heartless had stolen the orb that brought us here, then there was no reason that they wouldn't be congregating here like everywhere else.

I held my free hand in midair, ready to summon whichever weapon came first.

Only then did I realize the true dangers we could be facing.

It could have been a monster. More than a Heartless, maybe a soul-sucker like the one that got Aerith, maybe a real monster that lived in this land. I hoped we hadn't pissed anybody off. I realized then that our footsteps were quite prominent. Neither of us had seen reason to cover them- Axel's were bolder, footprints melted clean into the snow, and mine weren't exactly conspicuous. I swore again.

Axel shushed me.

In the semidarkness I heard the footsteps scatter forward, and a mute hissing. But the sounds were more… wolf-like than anything. I relaxed a little. I knew how to deal with wolves. I heard a frantic sniffing, and something that sounded like a human voice mumbled.

Axel lit a flame in his palm. "Who's there?" He suddenly yelled.

I heard a human scream and a loud growl. A feminine voice repeated a word in a foreign language several times. Axel pressed the flame forward, and the girl whimpered.

It was, well, a girl. But it was a girl like I'd never seen before- she was all dressed in skins to keep warm, but the skins had fringe and beads. Her hair was long, black, and braided, with a headband that had more beads sewn into it. She looked at the flame in Axel's hand with a primitive sort of fear. There was a dog-wolf next to her, probably a half-breed hunter.

"Stop, you're scaring her," I told him, pushing his hand back. I cleared my throat. "Um, we're sorry for scaring you," I continued, wondering if she'd even understand me. "We… were just looking for a friend of ours. We'll be going now. See? No scary fire!" I took one step back. "See? We're… leaving." I muttered under my breath, low enough so that only Axel would hear, "Nice one, dipshit. Now we've ruined any chance of finding civilization."

I turned and tried to pull him away before I heard a voice.

"Wait. Who are you?" The accent was obvious but her English was fluent. We both turned. "Don't tell me it brought you here too."

I looked at Axel. "My name is Demyx," I told her. "This is my friend, Axel. And by the thing that brought us here… you mean the orb, right?"

Axel shook his head in disapproval, and muttered, "Great, Demyx. What if she was really a Heartless out for your blood, like the other people we met?"

I shook my head. "There's nothing evil about her. She's just a girl." I turned back to her.

"I think we can help you," she said. "My name is Aaya. My… my tribe is not far off, hunting. Maybe we can help you find your friend before the night sets in." He bobbed her head once at Axel. "What is he? How can he make fire with his hands?"

"It's a long story," I muttered.

She nodded once. "I shall find my kinsmen." And she was gone.

Aaya came back several minutes later with several men who were dressed like her.

"We must blindfold you now," she told us. "It is the only way."

* * *

><p>The whole time Axel would not stop whispering at me.<p>

"Let's go with the girl, he says. There's no harm in it, he says. Now they're probably going to involve us in their satanic rituals."

I elbowed him in the place I assumed was his stomach. "Axel, shut up, okay?"

"For all you know they're going to lead us right off a cliff. Into a pit of vipers."

I gritted my teeth and said nothing. I didn't really understand the reason either; because it was so dark we couldn't see any of the supposed 'secret entrance' to the camp Aaya had offered as an explanation.

Finally we seemed to arrive at our destination. The cold had sloped off and I heard a fire, as well as dogs stirring and people talking in a foreign language.

I heard a man with a deep voice say something to the kinsmen who brought us here. The blindfolds were taken off our eyes.

"Father, these two were brought here by the orb too," Aaya said in English.

Her father stared us down. He was dressed like the rest of him, but his furs were more decorated, a hair more colorful. I assumed he was their chief of some sort. I didn't know whether to bow or not, so I merely inclined my head.

A few of them looked at us and muttered in disdain.

"We have no reason to hate these strangers," the chief said. "They are just as much victims as we are." He raised his eyebrows. "That is, are you?"

"Oh yes," I said nervously. "Very much victims. Our arrival here was completely accidental."

It was Axel's turn to nudge me.

The chief nodded once. "Come. It will all be explained to you."

He took us inside of a small skin tent. There was a fire pit in the center. He took off his shoes and sat cross-legged in front of it, gesturing for us to do the same. I followed suit, but Axel looked wary. He mumbled an excuse and went to stand in front of the tent.

I kept looking out behind me and up into the night sky. From what I could see between the trees, the constellations glittered brilliantly. But my mind was on other things.

"You are anxious," the chief observed. "What is bothering you, might I ask?"

I sighed. "There was a third person with us. A girl… my girlfriend."

"Girl…friend?"

His English had to be quite a bit behind modern standards. I blushed. "Well… we lost track of her, in the woods. I'm worried she'll freeze."

The chief looked into the fire. I could see the embers in his dark eyes, and they were more than reflections. "I am not sure how I can help you… the forest is known for being incredibly difficult to navigate. You should be grateful my daughter even managed to find you."

His daughter? Well, now I could see more of family resemblance- same deep brown eyes, same straight nose. "Yes. I am very grateful."

"Obviously you are from another world." He said it so plainly, so without prelude, that I looked up. How would he know about this? The chief, seeing my reaction, chuckled. "Yes, we are not as backwards as we seem."

"What… what year are you from?" I asked, not meaning to be so blunt.

The chief put a hand to his chest. "I am over two hundred years old," he told me. "My father lived until only fifty."

I tried to work it out. "You mean… this place is frozen in time?"

"Quite." He took a deep breath. "We arrived here many moons ago. One day, when we were preparing for our harvest, one of the women found a stone in the fields. It was a beautiful stone, perfectly round. It was more beautiful than anything we had seen. It was placed in my care and every day people used to come to see this wondrous stone. It gave us hope, because images glimmered on the stone's surface, images unlike anything we had seen before. We thought the stone gave us a glimpse into heaven."

I exhaled. He had to mean the orb.

"Over time my kinsmen began to become possessive of the orb. Some thought it should belong to those with the most skill- the best hunter, the best singer, the best healer- others thought it should reside with the elderly, or with the children, believing it blessed them. It didn't take long for us to deteriorate from eternal brotherhood to war.

"Some were killed. As chief I tried to stop them, but the beauty of the shimmering mirage made me begin to believe that it was meant for me, that the orb had been found because the gods had chosen me. I was selfish. I didn't stop the war. I took the orb and I hid it away in a cave.

"A few of my tribesmen found it one day and accused me of not working for my brothers. I shunned them. My wife found me several hours later and threatened to destroy the orb if I did not take responsibility. In a fit of rage… I killed her." His voice caught. I blinked, utterly disturbed and yet so engrossed.

"I knew then the power of what was in my hand, the utter evil of the orb. So I took my hunting knife and drove it into the stone's surface.

"I did not realize what happened. Once second I was there, in the cave, and the next… we were here. I was so angry that the orb took all of us, and all of our belongings."

"But," I stammered. "How could something so evil take you to a world so beautiful? How could it make you live forever?"

He shook his head. "I do not pretend to know, my boy. And I am glad for the odd little benefits that this land has given us. But I'm sad to say you're stuck here. There's no way back… that we know of." He sighed. "I'm not sure I would even go back, if I could. Time has changed too much; I know that for a fact. We would not be able to cope."

"W… where are we?"

The chief smiled. "We… we call this place Neverland."

* * *

><p>So the world is finally revealed XD<br>I didn't choose the traditional, Disney Neverland from the Peter Pan movies. Instead, I chose the Neverland from Syfy's program of the same name, because it was a really cool show and I loved the world, as well as the story to it, even if the acting wasn't totally overwhelmingly amazing.

I also want to apologize for taking so long to update; I didn't mean to let this much time pass. I can give you all the excuses in the world but they'd pretty much be useless. Most of my Internet time has gone to watching My Little Pony and reading Rage Comics to stifle the extreme writer's block XD But not all that much has changed for me, really.

I actually don't really care for this chapter at all, I just wanted to finally post something. I have a feeling I totally mangled the Native Culture (I'm not sure if they're English or American, because it was confusing in the film itself). If I did something wrong, worded something in an offending way, please tell me.

In other news, I discovered a totally amazing fanfic a few weeks ago. I was positively glued to it until I caught up. It's AU and AkuRoku, but don't let that turn you off. It's wonderfully sardonic, beautifully written, and quite realistic. It's called **Fire Crotch and the Friend Zone Virgins** by Annie Christ. I really recommend it if you need something to read.

Thank you **_Wolven24KH, littlev123, Rexness613, Mystical, SoraIsMyHomeboy, TheChel_**, and Anna for reviewing last chapter :3. I'm sorry to keep you waiting for so long.

Hopefully an update soon, but I wouldn't hold my breath.


	16. In which more mysterious things happen

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Square Enix owns Kingdom Hearts; Syfy owns Neverland.

Chapter Fifteen

In which

~More mysterious things happen~

…Neverland? The name sounded familiar… and then I remembered.

I'd _been_ here. I'd been sent on multiple missions here in the Organization. So had Axel. Actually, he probably knew it better than I.

But this looked nothing like the Neverland I'd seen. Even if this was into the past, it was totally and completely different. And it couldn't be so far into the past, because the English that the tribe spoke was pretty close to modern.

Maybe it was just a coincidence, in the name?

No, now that I looked at it more closely, I could see little bits of the new Neverland. A rock formation being eroded here. A watershed there.

But this Neverland seemed different… it was so much more magical. Even the air was saturated with color.

Despite the situation… I'd never felt more at peace.

I didn't really explore the land, not yet. I was still digesting the heavy story the chief had given me, the fact that my girlfriend was missing, and the fact that we'd most likely never return. At least we'd be immortal until then.

Oh no. Sora and the mission.

Where _was_ he? Did they know? Were they here? The last time I had seen him had been this morning when we split to do recon. Was it only this morning? It felt like it had been weeks ago.

That being said, I only then just realized how tired I was. I sighed. I didn't want to stop until Yuffie was found, but given how late it was, nobody was going to be willing to go with me to search.

Axel met my eyes. "What happened?"

I told him everything the chief had told me. When I finished, he sighed.

"That just figures, you know?" He looked at me and lowered his voice. "First thing we have to do in the morning is go find Yuffie and find a way out of here. There has to be one."

"Not unless we find the orb again. And even then…"

"That Heartless that tried to take it. Do you know what happened to it?"

"Well, no…"

"If we find that Heartless and get it to take us back to its lair, we might find the orb. We can go back to that city and rendezvous with the others."

"Small problem with that," I argued. "There were no Heartless here. We didn't see a single one on the way here. If they were here, freely breeding, we'd have seen one, if not fought with one. And even if we do find a Heartless and successfully follow it, their numbers would overwhelm us."

Axel scowled. "I miss the time when you'd blindly listen to me. You're almost too sharp."

I shrugged.

I felt a tug on my hand and turned. Aaya was standing there. Since we'd returned to the camp, and it was warmer, she'd shed most of her heavy furs, leaving her in what seemed to be the traditional wear. "Come with me," she said. "I think we found something that would interest you."

I raised an eyebrow at Axel, who shrugged. I followed after her. She led me to a small tent towards the edge of the camp. She lifted the flap that was the door and gestured me inside.

I stepped into the small tent. It was dark, warm, and smelled kind of like animals, but it wasn't a bad or unpleasant. In fact, it was kind of comforting.

In the center of the small tent, someone was curled up and sleeping in heavy animal skins. The only visible part of him or her was dark hair, but something glittered in the hair when the person stirred. Something… gray? Purple? It was hard to tell in the dim light.

"We figured she was with you," Aaya said. "She was dressed like you and spoke with your accent."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Yuffie." I knelt besides her. "Is she… okay?"

"She was… very cold." I didn't think Aaya knew the right word. "Any longer and she might have froze to death. We found her wandering in the forest. She was taken back before I met you."

"Thank you," I told her, and I meant it.

"This girl," Aaya began. "Is she… your betrothed?"

It took me a moment to figure out the word. I blushed. "Um…"

Aaya smiled. "I'll leave you be for a little while. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask. You're our guests."

"Thank you," I said again.

In the blankets besides me, Yuffie stirred. She opened one eye.

"Hi," I said softly.

She smiled drowsily.

"Nice nap?"

Yuffie blinked, and her expression changed to a more serious one. "This isn't my bed… where are we?"

"It's a long story."

She sat up and pulled the blankets around her. "The last thing I remember is getting tired and knowing it was a bad thing, because of the cold… I tried to keep going but I just stopped."

I took her hand. "It's okay. They found you in time."

"…They?"

I realized that I didn't even know what these people called themselves. "The group of people who live in this village." I paused. "I was so worried. When I found Axel right off the bat, I thought that something maybe had happened here."

"This world is so strange, Demyx," Yuffie said in an uncharacteristically low voice. I actually had to lean in to hear it. "There's something… not normal here."

That made sense, because it seemed like the Heartless, and, as an extension, Xemnas, had wanted to come here. "…Did something happen to you?"

She furrowed her eyebrows and looked at the ground. "I… I'm not quite sure. It was weird. When I was losing consciousness… I heard a sort of whispering. It wasn't the hissing of a Heartless, but something… purer. More comforting. But every time I tried to hear the sound, it was like my ears were avoiding it. It was easier to lean back and try _not_ to listen."

I took a moment to think. It definitely sounded like some kind of spirit, which I knew from experience, existed in abundance on other worlds. Had it been lulling her to sleep while knowing she would die from hypothermia? Had it been trying to help her? Did it really matter right now, considering we were all okay, as far as I knew?

We did need to get a clearer picture of this world. My time to be overwhelmed was over. We had to find our way back. I touched her face. "You're okay now."

She sighed. "I _know_ that. I just felt like we should have thought ahead."

I exhaled, too. "We had no idea what we were getting into."

She smiled in typical Yuffie manner. "You're right about that."

We met up with Axel at dinner. Despite her close call with death, Yuffie seemed fine. Her vitals were all perfect and her temperature was normal. We all sat with the tribe, who still clearly felt awkward in our presence.

"How do we even begin now?" Axel asked between mouthfuls. Out of all of us, he definitely had the best appetite, and the worst manners. You can imagine what that's like. However, it had been a long day, and the food was good. They definitely offered us plenty of it, which told me that this world had to be prosperous in other ways.

"I don't know," I said honestly. "Maybe just some straight recon would be best?"

"Because that worked so well the first time," Yuffie remarked dryly, swirling her drink. It appeared to be some kind of coffee, but none of us could figure out what it really was.

I laughed a little. "I don't think we're going to end up getting sent to another world this time."

"Some perception might be nice," Axel said. "We might be able to talk to Sora."

Yuffie squeezed a hand around her wrist awkwardly. Her watch was still on her and apparently functioning- the dial glowed green like mine. "My watch… it's acting up."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I don't know. It's just weird. I tried to get in touch with you, but all it would do was beep. There's nothing on the screen but the time."

I looked at my own watch. Above and below the time a bunch of tiny icons bordered the numbers. I took her wrist into my hand and looked at it. She was right. The time faded and seemed fuzzy. She took off the watch.

"Axel's the technical genius. Let him figure it out."

Axel studied the watch for a few moments, poking at various buttons. "I don't really understand it myself," he admitted. "Cid's gadgets are way out of my league. But something's definitely wrong."

"Great." Yuffie swore. She took it back. "Well, what do we do now if we get separated?"

"A rendezvous point," I told her. "We didn't have watches like these in the Organization. It was all like that. If your partner's missing after a certain time, you go look for him."

"I'm not an idiot," she muttered. Yuffie sighed dramatically. "It's still a little less concrete at this point. But we need all the straws we can grasp."

"You're right," Axel said. "Tomorrow morning we need to leave early and scout the area."

After we finished dinner, the natives were kind enough to lend us a tent to sleep in. There was room enough for all three of us to fit, albeit in closer quarters than we'd all like.

Night had fallen a while ago, but fires still burned and the natives still hung around and talked. They'd done so much more for us than they'd had to, I thought as I curled under the skins that were my blankets for tonight. Saving Yuffie. Welcoming us to their village without question. Even remaining tolerant of Axel, who seemed ill at ease and uncomfortable. I made a mental note to ask him about it tomorrow.

I was tired. I wanted to shut down and to let my mind blank out. It had been a long day, and we needed more than anything to get back to the world we'd arrived in, or at least to contact Sora. I burrowed more deeply into my makeshift bed. If I didn't know better, it was almost like home…

* * *

><p>When I woke up, the sky was early-morning gray. Most of the village was asleep- I could feel it. I wanted to crawl back under the warm coverings and go back to sleep, but my mind was awake.<p>

I sat up, careful not to wake my friends. I tucked my blankets around Yuffie and stepped outside the tent.

I was right- there was no sign of conscious life. The fires were mostly ash and ember. I slipped off to pee and find a river or something to wash up in. I felt so dirty already.

It was cool this morning, but it felt better than the bitter chill of the snow from yesterday. I could tell that by later today it would be warm as any summer's day.

Were there seasons here? How would that work, if technically no time passed? I wondered if the chief knew, and if the information would help us in any way. Probably not. We needed to get out of here as soon as possible. We were wasting time here, if the key wasn't here.

I'd almost forgotten about the mission, and couldn't help but wonder if maybe we were meant to be lead here. I wasn't much a believer in the definite sort of fate, but this world just felt so much more… magical than any I'd been to as of yet. Then again, this was the first in the journey. Maybe I was just overreacting.

I washed up in a little mountain brook. The water was ice cold, but it felt and tasted good.

What if we were trapped here?

I couldn't stop thinking. I'd always been one to babble nervously, but this was ridiculous. I tried to think of what would happen.

What I'd seen of this world seemed to be a paradise. However, I definitely didn't want to stay here forever, not without the rest of my friends. I wanted to go back home.

I heard a splash somewhere besides me and looked up. It was the girl who'd found us before- her name was Aaya, I think. She was ankle-deep in the cold water and nodded acknowledgement.

"I think you'll come to like it here," she said by ways of greeting.

"But I have to get back," I told her. "There has to be something, don't you think? If something was made, or was formed, to bring us from that world to here, there has to be something that was made or formed that will bring us back."

"You're determined to leave," she said. "But… why?"

"There's something I need to do," I tried to explain. "And it starts with my home."

She nodded, like she understood. "I hope everything goes well," Aaya said, "And I hope you can find a way back to your home. But don't count on it, Demyx."

I dried my hands. "I just have this one task to do," I continued. "It's… something important, and everyone depends on me. I can't just stay here, no matter how _nice_ it is."

Aaya bit her lip. "There is one possibility."

"What's that?"

"We were not the only people to be brought here," she informed me. "Around… I don't know how long ago it is now… a group of pirates appeared, complete with their ship and crew. We have remained isolated for so long, but perhaps if you speak to them… they can give you a lead."

"Thank you," I told her, and I meant it.

"But be careful," she said, and her whole outlook had changed, to fierce and dedicated. "They are not to be trusted, these people."

"What did they do?" I asked.

"They want something this land can't give them," she said in a bitter voice, looking out towards the woods. She paused. "I have to be going now. You should return back to camp, too, before your friends wake."

Aaya walked away before I could say anything else.

Her words were puzzling, but I felt confident with my lead, at least a little. Hopefully some recon would give me a little more perspective, and we could figure out our way through this mess.

As I arrived back at camp, the day was just hesitantly beginning. When I got back into the pile of skins that was my bed, my friends were just starting to wake up. I was able to nap for about fifteen more minutes before the unofficial signal for breakfast was acknowledged, and we all gathered to eat again.

I didn't relay my lead about the pirates to them just yet. I figured that for now I'd just take things in stride and see what became of it. Suddenly I understood Sora's impulse and lack of planning the first time I'd traveled with him.

We got out backs ready and left before the sun was even above the trees, as soon as the people of the village saw us out of their secret entrance. They promised they would meet us back here to bring us in if necessary.

I wondered why they were so protective of their camp. Were the pirates that bad? Was there some other threat? Or was it merely an attempt at normalcy? Nevertheless, I knew that I had some pieces of information either wrong or missing.

We hit the ground running.

The morning consisted mostly of hiking. My brain kept wandering off into the great unknown. I really should have been paying attention, as it _was_ my idea to do recon, but something nagged at me, a sensation I couldn't quite name. The skin on my chest felt almost physically irritated. I ignored it, passing the feeling off as just the heat, or the strap on my bag, or something like that, but it wouldn't fade. In fact, it felt almost like it was burning.

I ducked under the shade of a tree, glad to be out of the sunlight. I was probably going to end up with wicked sunburn on my shoulders. Heat felt baked into my skin.

"Well? Any conclusions?" Axel asked me with a hint of sarcasm. "There are so many fucking mountains. Does that have anything to do with anything?"

I looked at him. "You don't have to get mean, Axel. We need to know what we're up against."

He contemplated me. "Are you okay? You look… pale."

"I'm not feeling too hot," I admitted. I took my pack off and set it aside. I sighed. "I'm sorry, but this has been bothering me for hours." My fingers were trembling. I hoped some strange bug with questionable venom hadn't bitten me. My immune system was abnormally resistant, but even it could only take so much. I reached up and unbuttoned my shirt, letting air reached my burnt skin.

"What's gotten into you?" Axel asked with eyebrows raised.

I touched the skin carefully. It was almost directly above my heart, next to the scar that I'd had since I'd become a Nobody. The skin was raised, in some sort of pattern. "This," I told him. "I think I'm hurt."

Axel groaned. "Only you, Demyx. It's only been two god damn hours."

"This is serious, you bastard," I swore.

His expression settled out. "Well, what is it?"

"It feels like… I got burned."

He took a step toward me. "Let me see."

It felt extremely awkward, him prodding at my bare chest while my girlfriend was off not fifteen feet away.

"It's definitely a burn. How did it get there?"

"I don't know. And it seems to be getting worse." I felt almost dizzy now. What the hell? Why was I always the one who got the weird bruises and sensations? Half the time I felt like a hypochondriac. Then I remember things like these are supposed to be _important signs._ Pain seared across the burn.

Axel gently pushed me onto a rock. "Sit. I'll get you some water."

He left, and I was alone. I sat with my head in my hands. Where did this come from? How? It hurt. The randomness of my wound was astounding. It felt like something was trying to drive its way out of me.

I felt a brief, weird flash of memory. Way back, right after we killed Xemnas, I remembered feeling something similar, though the feeling was going inwards, not outwards.

The searing pain got worse. I was kind of scared. It was so sudden, so random- I had no idea what was happening to me. I touched the burn again, wondering what could possibly be going on.

Axel came back over to me, carrying an open canteen. "Feeling any better?"

The burn yet intensified, and suddenly I understood. I looked past him, into the shadows of the trees.

"Axel," I said, very softly. "Behind you."

Axel turned. The canteen fell into the bed of pine needles, water pouring out.

"No way," he muttered.

* * *

><p>This chapter... didn't turn out the way I planned.<p>

I intended to drive more of the Neverland plot, not the actual overall plot. Awesome stuff was supposed to happen, people were supposed to be kidnapped, and so on.

Instead, _this_.

I have no excuses. It all seems rather dumb and cobbled together, to me, anyway. So I'm sorry. -_-

In other news, very busy on my front. Finals are starting to stare us all in the face.

Also, did anyone watch Legend of Korra? It's just as good as the original Avatar: The Last Airbender. The writers really outdid themselves.

Thank you **_Rexness613, littlev123, TheChel, Mystical, SoraIsMyHomeboy, _**and Anna for reviewing last chapter.

On a last note, I've been obsessed with Portal lately.


	17. Burned

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Chapter Sixteen

Burned

Who else was there other than our greatest friend?

He looked at us, smiling with both of those amber eyes, again with the blue tattoos, again with the instability that ignited more pain, more nausea inside of me. Something was just not right.

Axel took on the defensive immediately; his regular warm attitude had morphed into something otherworldly, fiery. In my warped vision, his very hair seemed to burn.

"Why are you here?" He snarled, fingertips sparking.

"I was interested in an experiment," he said in that same awful voice. With every step Xehanort took, my weakness seemed to consume, take over, like a tin can being crushed. "I know very well what you're trying to do. It's sad, but I might as well let you give it your best shot. I'm merely here to check the progress."

His words didn't seem to register in my mind- everything was growing dim- but in the very corner of the consciousness, I knew, and understood, exactly what he was talking about. And it became glaringly obvious.

Axel didn't. "What are you talking about?"

"Just ask your friend over there."

"Demyx?" Footsteps. And then the shaking. Why always the shaking? "Demyx, wake up!"

"Excellent."

"Wait, where are you going? You did this! Get back here…!"

And then the darkness.

* * *

><p>I drifted for a while, came to a steady stop for the first time in a place I'd never seen.<p>

But there was no pondering, no thought; I simultaneously had never been here and yet knew the place intimately, with its dark black sand and stone with blue fissures, and the sea. The sea was one perfect thing in the darkness.

I sat on the soft beach, no shoes, legs curled under me like it was the most natural thing in the world.

I heard footsteps, but didn't look up. I knew who it was.

"How long have you known?" She asked.

I closed my eyes. "A long time," I admitted. "I just wish I could have stopped it."

She sighed. "Trust me, we all do." A pause. "What are you going to do?"

"The only option we know of so far. Go along with Sora's plan."

"But you'll be killed."

"I'll die either way," I said more tersely. "What other choice is there?"

She looked down. "It may seem bleak," she murmured. "But just when you think you have no options, you have to follow the…"

"Light through the dark, I know," I spat.

"You need to be patient," she said softly, laying a hand on my shoulder.

"Says you! You're not in a race against losing your own…" I trailed off, seeing the look in her eye. "You're right."

She gave me that firm look, blue eyes meeting mine. "You have to go back."

"But it's so much more peaceful here."

"Demyx. Go."

I nodded, and went to get up. "When will I see you again? Master?"

"Before you know it."

* * *

><p>I came back to consciousness with a lurch to my chest painful enough cause me to choke for several minutes. Axel still shook me anyway, slapping my face and otherwise trying to bring me back into reality.<p>

"Demyx!"

I sat up, chest aching and smarting, not able to catch my breath quickly enough.

"You're okay…"

"What did you do?" I asked him.

"Pressed on your sternum. Works every time."

I clutched at the ground with my fingers, trying to absorb how _real_ everything felt. Whatever that had been definitely didn't feel like a dream; rather, a memory, even though I was sure it hadn't happened yet.

This just got more and more complicated.

Still, I was left behind was a revelation I wasn't quite sure I could handle yet. Admitting it to myself was tough, but telling my friends would be levels more difficult. I pressed a hand to my chest and sighed.

"What happened to you?" Yuffie asked, offering me her canteen. "I came back and found you passed out."

"Yeah, why did just being around him make you black out like that?" Axel asked too, more suspicious than anything.

I bit my lip. "I need sometime to think first."

They both raised their eyebrows.

"Really. Something's going on. But I need to think it out."

Yuffie nodded and looked down, but Axel held my gaze firmly, and I knew I wasn't off the hook.

"Do you want to go on? Or do you want to go back and rest…?" Yuffie asked.

"Really, I'm fine," I insisted, brushing the dirt and pine needles off of myself. If I went back and rested, there would be too much time to think and consider the things I'd just discovered, and I wasn't ready for that yet. "See? All better. Let's go."

I could tell from their expressions that they clearly knew I was lying, but they both cut me some slack.

"All right. Let's at least try to get something done," Axel said.

He still thought it was a good idea to investigate the pirates. "They might really have a lead. And besides that, their ship will be an excellent breeding ground for Heartless."

I raised my eyebrow, figuring something out. "You think they have the orb?"

"I hadn't considered that. But they might, good thinking."

"So they got here like us," Yuffie said, expertly climbing down the almost sheer cliff face that faced the sea. "But what does that _mean_? Is it a matter of them looking for it, or being in the right place, at the right time?"

"Maybe some vague combination of both," I managed, struggling to grasp a handhold. It was a bit unnerving to look down and see the jagged rocks and pounding waves, even though I knew I could quite easily use my powers to save any one of us if we fell.

"Are you sure they can't see us? Even now?"

"No. We're hidden by the other side of the cliff." I turned to Axel. "How to you plan to go through with this? They might be hostile. They could kill us before we even get to talk to them."

"…Or they could be a misunderstood boatload of Buddhist monks."

I scowled. "Okay, now you're just mocking me."

He grinned in his usual way. "You're just so easy to make fun of, though."

I rolled my eyes, setting my feet down on the smooth rock surface of a shelf that jetted from the side of the cliff. We followed the path it led all the way down to the beach, away from the angry tide. The sea here was beautiful, clean and clear and (here, anyway) calm. This world was absolutely gorgeous, but I had to keep my mind on the mission, no matter how choppy it seemed at the moment.

Yuffie stared as blatantly as I did. "Wow. It's even prettier than home." She blushed, and stuttered. "I mean… it's just so much more… raw."

I nodded, privately agreeing, before turning to the matter at hand.

There was a ship in the water, one long rope tethering it to a rock on the beach, so it was obvious that they had been here for a while. It was a typical pirate ship, almost exactly like the ones at Port Royal- the style probably originated from the same era. Was it possible that these people actually _were_ from Port Royal? I knew there sure were a lot of pirates around there, as Xigbar and Luxord had used to harp on about. Port Royal was famous in the Organization for its bars, because there were no laws regulating alcohol there.

"Well, what do we do?" I asked Axel, feeling a flicker of irritation. "It was your plan. Do we just stride on in?"

"Shut it, you," he scowled. He put a hand on his hip. "Well, here goes." He raised his voice. "Hey, is anybody out there?" Then, he smirked at me. "We want to talk to you about _God_!"

I looked at Axel, positively scandalized, but Yuffie was giggling madly. "You're an _idiot_! This is a _mission_!" I hissed. "It's _important_ how we talk to them, considering they might just kill us!"

He shrugged nonchalantly. A skiff appeared on the water, a small rowboat carrying a few people.

"Well, that got their attention," he said, utterly at ease.

The boat reached the shore. There were about half a dozen pirates, looking entirely like the ones in Port Royal, complete with grime and the same exact guns the ones in Port Royal wielded.

One, a tall and strong but graying old man, waved his pistol in the air casually. "When we're through with you, you won't believe in no God anymore," he said.

* * *

><p><em>Idiot<em>.

They had swept us up easily, without so much as a fight. Even with our enhanced, trained reflexes and pointy weapons, they had firepower. I might have been superhuman, but I couldn't stop a bullet in midair.

I had briefly considered using my powers to at least distract one of them, maybe make him wet his pants (a silly little trick, but surprisingly useful), but there was no way to escape. Unless we outright killed them, there was no way we could scale the cliff without having one of them shoot at us. And I didn't want to find out just how good their aim was.

The first thing they did was take our stuff, then they tied and gagged us all up, throwing us side by side into the skiff, which it turned out had several gallons of water in the bottom. Hands tied, it was impossible to keep myself dry.

I looked at Axel, trying to communicate just how pissed I was with solely my eyes. But he had that look, that _I know what I'm doing_ look. Then I realized this was part of his _plan._ I had to admit Axel was incredibly good at thinking on his feet, and I'd never had reason to distrust him before. I trusted him with my life several times over, since he'd saved it even when we were enemies.

So I let myself relax, despite the dirty salt water rushing in and out of my ears.

Yuffie glanced between us both nervously, unsure of how to deal with being a weaponless prisoner. Even with her skills in self-defense, she'd never had the need to practice escaping a full-body bind. Other than that, the ropes were tied so tightly I could feel my stomach pressing into my spine. I wished I could tell her that everything was okay, that this was all according to plan, but I could only look at her comfortingly.

The skiff stopped moving, bumping into the bigger ship, shifting uncomfortably. Yuffie squeezed her eyes shut. I knew she had to be feeling nauseous. Her motion sickness was infamously bad.

"Alright, you know where to put 'em," one of the pirates said. I was thrown over one of their shoulders like I weighed no more than a sack of potatoes. Yuffie whimpered as they grabbed her, unable to even be sick because of her gag. The ground was moving too much then to see where I was going- I closed my eyes against the dizziness. I wasn't sure what happened next- either they hit me on the head or I passed out on my own- but the next thing I knew, I was in a dirty, wet cell, sweaty with my hair in my eyes.

It was a corner of the hull of the ship, smelling like spilt alcohol and vomit and who knows what else, and obviously hadn't been cleaned in many years. But if we were their prisoners, they wouldn't care about our discomfort. I reached backwards, feeling the smooth wood of the ship, and reached out towards the bars.

They were rotted, rusty, but held firm when I pushed against them. The padlock was old-fashioned, but I had nothing to pick it with, nor could I even reach it without being scratched.

We were trapped like rats. I hated this sensation more like anything else. I had never really realized just how much my time as a prisoner in the Organization had traumatized me; but since then I'd noticed that I had become claustrophobic. At home, where it was big and open, it wasn't a feeling I experienced much.

I tried to distract myself. The ship was very dark; there was only one lantern lighting the whole hull. There were several inches of that same dirty saltwater in the bottom; I flinched as I realized just how wet my shoes were.

There was another cell, one directly across from me, but I couldn't see who was in it exactly. I went straight up to the bars.

"Demyx? Is that you?" It was Yuffie's voice, startlingly weak. I realized that the vomit I'd smelled earlier was most likely from her.

"Yuffie?" I reached towards the sound of her voice in the darkness. We were just able to touch hands; hers was cold and clammy.

"I feel horrible," she murmured.

"I'll get you out of here," I promised. "I just don't know… how…"

"Axel said he'd do it," she told me. "After they knocked you out, they took off his gag and took him away from us. Said the captain was interested in him. I hope he's okay."

"I think this was all his plan. He knows what he's doing… I think." I paused. "Should we wait for him? I could pick your lock, if you have any of your knives."

"No. They disarmed me."

"I guess… then… we have to wait."

She sighed. "I hope he gets us out of here soon."

* * *

><p>Axel found himself in the captain's cabin.<p>

It was definitely the nicest room he saw so far, and smelled the least. It was hard to tell exactly who lived here; there were just too many trinkets; gold and silver and jewels, precious little artifacts and pieces of art, along with just plain _things._ A lot of the objects seemed more feminine, but Axel knew pirates were not selective when it came to treasure.

At least they'd untied him. Axel had no idea what they'd done with his friends; but he was sure they were still alive. The captain was sure to use them as bargaining pieces. Pirates loved to bargain for everything.

He was unsure what he was looking for, but it was probably in here. With all these precious things, maybe the orb was here, or the key itself. It was hard to tell. He was tempted to get up and move things around.

The door opened.

A woman walked in. She was younger, maybe thirty or so, with curly brown hair and blue eyes. She would be attractive if she weren't armed with a scowl and a pistol.

"If you would please tell me what you're doing on my ship," she said, eyeing his hair and- to her- his outlandish clothing with disgust.

"I want to know what you know about this place," he said truthfully. "You know something about this world that those natives are keeping hidden."

She laughed; it was an unpleasant sound. "You really expect me to spill all my secrets, when you haven't even given me your name?"

"I should say the same," he muttered.

"Well, you obviously aren't from here… and you must know a thing or two about us pirates."

"You could say that."

She sat across from him, leaning back and crossing her legs casually. She was dressed in trousers and a ruffled blouse, and wasn't as filthy as all the others. "What's your name, pet?"

"Axel," he said, catching onto her tone of voice quickly. He could be quite seductive if he had to be. It wouldn't be too hard to flirt his way out of here. "And yours, gorgeous?"

She smiled, but he could tell she knew he was sweet-talking her. "Bonny," she said. "Elizabeth Bonny." Her posture was comfortable, open, the pistol lying on the table fully in his reach, but he didn't dare grab it, not when he had so much to bargain for. "Now, one thing I really want to know is where you learned to _fight_ like that. It's not often that an outsider can fight off several dozen seasoned pirates- what's more, without a gun."

He smirked. "_That's_ a secret I have to keep."

She smiled too. "Well, you've definitely earned my respect," she said, and he knew she wasn't lying. "It's really a shame you can't stay. You'd be an excellent first mate." There was practically a purr in her voice. He gave her that same flirtatious grin.

"I have a mission to complete." He shrugged. "And you might know something about that."

"What do you want to know?" She asked, guarded. "About the orb? I can tell you anything."

"Well, do you have it?"

She laughed at him. "You don't want that thing. It's completely useless."

He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"That thing was only made to go one way, pet. You're stuck here."

Axel couldn't hide the surprise. "There's absolutely no way back?"

She shrugged.

"And you don't care? Don't you want to go… home?"

She looked at him, as if to ask, _are you kidding_? "According to my calculations, it's been over two hundred years, that we're here," she told him. "The world will have changed to much. Besides," and she leaned in conspiratorially, "there's something I want from this world."

"And what is it?" Axel asked, doubtful.

Bonny put a finger to her lips, stood up, and crossed over to a small jewelry test. She took out a small crystal phial and came back to the table. Something shimmered inside the phial- something ethereal and too magical to belong in a place like this. She took the stopper off of the phial and poured the substance over a sheet of paper. It was a sort of powder; and yet, it moved as if it were a liquid.

It unearthed a memory from Axel's mind, deep and from long ago. When he was still a Nobody, he'd gone on missions with Roxas to Neverland- Demyx had said that this world had the same name, and had to be years behind or years ahead of the one they'd known- but Axel hadn't believed the places were one and the same. Now he knew, and he _remembered_ all of the times watching stupid Captain Hook and his cohorts trying to capture Tinker Bell. But these pirates were different, in both manner and style, and there was no Captain Hook.

The substance was fairy dust, surely. How had she gotten it?

"Mineral dust," Bonny whispered. "If I get enough of this… I will become a god." The paper, covered in the dust, floated in the air, glowing and glimmering, and nearly touching the ceiling, where it burned up, scattering cool ashes.

"By gaining the power to fly?" Axel asked skeptically.

Bonny laughed. "People are afraid of the abnormal, Axel. Have you ever seen a man fly?"

_Yes,_ Axel thought silently. But unless the person flying had some sort of inborn power, or was some class of sub-human, he hadn't, not really. "…No."

"You'd surprised how much power a silly ability such as flying will give me, Axel. Especially once I go back."

"You said you didn't want to go back."

Her eyes glimmered. "I don't. Not like this, not human, _ordinary._ But you can help me with that. Help me get this mineral dust- enough to make me fly, not just enough to do this little magic trick- and I will help you get home." She tossed her hair. "And I'll let your friends go, too."

She practically reeked of darkness, and her plan was flawed. Axel wasn't sure of what to do. And he hadn't even asked her about the key. "What would I… have to do?"

"You must know about that little Indian tribe," she said. Axel had never heard the term before, but he knew whom she was referring to. "They are the only ones who know where the mineral deposits are… and they won't share the location with anyone."

To defend it from greedy people like you, Axel thought.

She took his hands. Her fingertips were rough and calloused. "I want you to earn their trust, Axel. I want them to tell you where it is."

"Let my friends go first," he told her firmly.

She batted her eyes. "Then how would I know if you would carry it out?"

He scowled. "If I could fight all those pirates single-handedly, it would be easy to fight only you." His hands were palm-up- ready to summon his chakrams at a second's thought.

"You wouldn't fight a lady," she said, picking up her gun and holding it to his temple. "Face it, pet. You're at my mercy."

Axel's lip curled. "I'll try my best," he spat.

She pressed the barrel of the gun harder against his head. "Give me your word."

"You have my word," he finally told her.

* * *

><p>Sitting in that cell gave me an awful lot of time to think. Yuffie was too sick to keep conversation, dry heaving and retching. It wasn't pretty, but I held her hands anyway, considering she'd seen me in much worse states.<p>

Outside of the situation, my mind expanded rapidly, going over the events of the day and the puzzle pieces I'd finally put together, after only a thousand or so clues.

Confronting it, I was almost sick myself. Instead, I felt a different pressure, this time from behind my eyelids. I was glad for the darkness that hid my face.

I just felt so damn _dirty, _and not even physically. I was dirty and tainted in a place I couldn't even clean, no matter what I tried to do. I almost felt like I'd been _raped._

In a sense, I guess I had been. I hadn't consented to this.

It was even worse because I knew I couldn't tell anybody. I would be facing this myself.

The problem wasn't just outside out range of sight. It was inside me.

I put a hand on my chest. The tears welled up, quick and hot, dripping.

Yuffie, despite her sickness, squeezed my hand harder. "What is it? What happened?"

_He_ was inside me. A little piece of his soul sucked on mine. I knew now what everything he said meant.

His body was giving out, so he was going to try and take mine.

* * *

><p>This chapter took quite the unexpected turn. I didn't expect it to turn out like that, nor reveal the information so soon. But it is the sixteenth chapter, and it's about time I get something done.<p>

As always, I apologize for the delay. I struggled with this chapter, I really did, and it shows. Hopefully I'll be able to update more this summer, now that I'm almost done with my final exams.

Thank you **_Mystical, littlev123, TheChel,_** and **_SoraIsMyHomeboy_**for reviewing for the last chapter.

Also, even though it's only been two months since I've been gone, has changed more than I've seen it change in the past four years I've been on it. I mean, cover images? What is this craziness? At least I can use the crappy fanart I drew.


	18. The Trust

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Chapter Seventeen

The Trust

The keys on Bonny's ring jangled with a useless chatter, corroded metal surfaces barely managing to glimmer in the poor light. He wondered briefly what those keys had gone through, but Axel knew it was just a ploy to distract himself.

How would he go about this? Now that the immediate threat of Bonny killing him was done with, and she was satiated, thinking that he would start on her little mission, it would be all too easy to just run away. Hiding wouldn't be hard in this environment.

After all, Axel was tired of being used by other people to get a leg up.

And how would he tell his friends, who trusted him so much? Demyx and Yuffie respected the tribe, considering all the guidance they'd given (not to mention they'd saved Yuffie's life). Demyx would tell him immediately to abandon the plan, that it was no good, that the Captain was corrupted beyond belief.

These were all things Axel knew, and believed himself. He didn't want to go along with this plan. Did he have to?

How much influence did she have over this island? Were they powerful enough to chase after them, guns blazing? Or could they really just slip away?

And yet, she seemed to know something about the orbs, and how there was one to take them back. Unless she was lying- which she hadn't been- going along with Bonny's plan seemed to be the only option if they wanted to get back to Sora and co., and to complete the mission.

Axel had almost forgotten that the whole purpose was to find the keys. In these two whole vast planets, they had to find one small, metal key. They had almost nothing to work off of- either it looked like the one Sora already had, or they were looking for something else entirely. Along with getting home, they needed to ransack this place for a piece of small, magical metal.

The Captain led him to the back of the hull of the ship. The first thing Axel noticed was the smell, pitch and spilt alcohol and just plain unwashed human. Several inches of dirty seawater sloshed around the bottom, funny considering the floors above this were completely dry.

Axel saw them before they saw him.

In the darkness, Demyx and Yuffie were just two human beings, faceless and shapeless, waiting on the only hope they had- him.

Axel hated being human sometimes. It was the _guilt_ more than anything, even though he had no reason to be guilty, not yet.

Bonny lifted her lamp above her head, illuminating the pathetic prison. Startled by the bright light, they both looked up, two shapeless faces assuming identities of the two people Axel had grown to care about, even love.

Yuffie's skin was clammy, her eyes blinking uncertainly, trying to focus. She was shaking slightly from seasickness. Demyx looked no better; his eyes were red-rimmed from the darkness and stress, his face unreadable.

_They're pathetic,_ a voice whispered in his head. _You're better than them._

Axel dismissed it; he'd been battling with a superiority complex for a long time. But when did the line between that and the influence of darkness blur? He figured that as long as he didn't listen, it didn't matter.

"Alright, you two," Bonny said, "You're free to go." Even though her voice was cheerful, she somehow managed to spit venom. Demyx noted the tone of her voice with the barest twitch of an eyebrow. Oh, over the past two years since Axel had really gotten to know him, and had lived with him, he'd learned to read the Nocturne like a book. Despite his high mannerisms, Demyx was so highly emotional that sometimes the resulting empathy even kept _Axel_ awake at night.

As for Yuffie, he'd come to know her too, considering she and Demyx were practically fused at the hip. However, she was harder to read, and despite her optimistic attitude, often hid deeper opinions and thoughts. She was actually very smart, and well trained in reconnaissance, but buried that with her personality.

Relief seeped into her features. Bonny quickly unlocked the two grates. Still disoriented, Yuffie clung to Demyx for balance.

Axel noticed then the change in his friend's body language again. It was less open, not cold towards her, but cold to _himself_. He had to have been doing some thinking.

Inwardly, Axel scowled. There were times when he missed the clueless Demyx of their past. Now, it seemed like he always knew too much. But Axel did want to know what was going on, and he knew he would find out before very long.

Bonny led them all back to the deck without another word. Most of the pirates had disappeared; off to do whatever they did during the day, aside from a few who were cleaning the deck. She thrust their things back at them, the bags having laid out in the open for however long.

"Go," she said sharply. The only person really looking at her was Axel- Yuffie was too glad with the fact that they were getting off the awful ship, and Demyx's eyes were on the far horizon, unfocused and empty. His fingers barely curled around the strap of his bag. "I don't ever want to see any of you again," Bonny announced, her eyes clearly telling Axel that she wanted him back here with information as soon as possible. "Get off my ship. Be thankful that you're even able to walk off it." She nodded towards a ladder, leading down towards a skiff. "He will take you to shore."

Axel nodded once, leading his friends down to the little boat.

All of them were silent on the short ride over, aside from the pirate that rowed the skiff, who openly bashed all of them with some of the most colorful language Axel had ever heard (impressive, considering the many things he'd seen). Yuffie's lip twitched as she registered the insults, but Demyx's hand over hers silently told her to keep quiet. As a couple, they had some of the strangest dynamics Axel had ever seen. At times, they complemented each other perfectly, but others, they just seemed to be awkward teenagers in their first relationship.

Only when they got off the skiff did Demyx look back. His eyes were still unfocused, like he couldn't comprehend what was going on, and Axel had to practically lead him away. Something was definitely wrong.

Axel had been keeping closer watch over his friend than ever since this whole mess had started- with that damn letter Sora sent a few months ago.

Once the pirate had left, Yuffie stretched happily, allowing a lazy grin to spread across her face. Already she looked better, less pale. "You have no idea how glad I am to be out of there," she said. "I could kiss this beach. I could hug this freaking cliff." She patted the rock wall appreciatively. "I never want to go on another boat, ever again."

Axel smirked. "I have a feeling there are going to be a lot of boats in your near future." It was true. Who knew what they were going to encounter?

She grimaced. "Give me a few weeks before I even _think_ about it."

Demyx looked at them both with wide, tired eyes, not really caring enough to join the conversation, though this would usually be when he cracked a dry joke or tried (and mostly failed) to be witty.

Figuring that he was too out of it to be paying attention, Axel risked it. "What's with him?"

Yuffie bit her lip and sighed. "I don't know; he's been like that ever since we were on the ship. I thought he was worried about me, or you, but I don't know."

Axel walked over and rested a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Hey, buddy…"

Demyx interrupted him, shrugging away from Axel's touch. "Let's go back to the camp."

He picked up his bag and started walking, not noticing how Yuffie reached out for him. Emotions rolled off of him too quickly for Axel to really understand.

_Sometimes your drama really kills me, you know that?_ His lip curled.

* * *

><p>"Can I talk to you? In private?" Seven words, spoken under his breath. The weight of Demyx's confession practically crushed his lungs. It was better than the devastated silence they'd both had to put up with. At least Demyx had spent this time by himself.<p>

Axel looked around camp. It was nearing sundown, and the evening meal. The natives were relaxing, settling in for the night. Yuffie was fifteen feet away, talking to Aaya. They had become fast friends, but what they had in common Axel couldn't even begin to imagine.

Demyx bit his lip. "Now, please?"

Axel scowled. Demyx had spoken nine whole words throughout the entire afternoon. Still, he knew the situation had pretty serious if it made his friend act like this. "Sure," he said passively.

Demyx led him to a spot just out of earshot for the whole camp. He paced back and forth, leaking vulnerability and anxiety into the air. "Look," he said softly, then trailed off, unsatisfied with his choice of words. "I don't know how to say this…"

"So just spit it out," Axel said, tired of the games.

"You don't understand," he said. "It's not like I would have ever asked for this to happen."

Axel raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Xehanort." The name was just so heavy…

"What about him?"

Demyx swayed slightly and put his hand on a nearby tree. "I just… I never thought…"

"God damn it, Demyx, just tell me!"

He swallowed as if he were about to be sick, which Axel realized he probably was. "It's _inside_ me, Axel. The problem's _inside_ me."

Axel sighed. "I know whatever-it-is is bugging you, but I really don't want to deal with the drama right now."

"No, you don't understand." Demyx's teal eyes held onto his desperately. "It's _literally_ inside me… he… he…" He sat down on the pine needles and closed his eyes. "I can't believe I didn't see this sooner."

Axel wanted to feel angry with his friend for being so overdramatic, but he sat down across from Demyx and said, "Tell me."

It wasn't a long explanation, but it took Demyx a long time to form the words. He had sunk back into himself, eyes staring into the distance.

As he explained it- soul fusion, the injury long ago that was Xemnas's revenge- Axel felt his face contort with disgust.

Demyx finished speaking and closed his eyes, arms crossed loosely over his chest.

"So this could… kill you?"

"I suppose," came the answer. "But Xehanort had to have been more careful than that… he… I think he's going to try and take my body."

Axel could only stare.

"You saw him when he last came here. He's… he's unstable. And look at me. He's right. I'm perfect for his needs. Young… powerful… a Keyblade wielder…" Demyx shuddered.

"Can we do anything about it? Rip it out of you or something…?"

"I don't know," Demyx whispered. "But… I'm worried what will happen if…"

Axel raised an eyebrow. "If what?"

"'Fusion could lead to soul disintegration at worst… and possession at best…'" He swallowed hard.

"Oh no…"

"As long as he's inside of me," Demyx explained with a somewhat more rational attitude, "I don't know how much control he'll possibly take, if he decides to take any. He might have access to my thoughts and, consequently, all of our plans. Worse than that, if he _does_ take full control, he could easily hurt or kill any of you… through me. At this point, though… I _hope_ he's only trying to hurt _me_, not the mission."

Axel was still, green eyes staring.

"I need you to make me a promise, Axel," Demyx continued, simultaneously broken and put together, reaching over to take Axel's hot hand into his cool one. "You're the only one I can trust to do this. The others… they're too…" He trailed off.

"What do you want?" He asked numbly.

"If he takes control of me… and you can't get me back… and I hurt one of you… I want you to kill me."

Axel pulled back his hand as if shocked. "Are you kidding me?"

"Axel." His eyes glinted. "Promise me."

"I can't lose you too," Axel whispered. "Isn't it a little soon to jump to conclusions?"

"This is the perfect time, while I'm still me. Besides… we could use the insurance. I don't need my friends' blood on my hands."

Strangely, Axel _did_ understand. He exhaled. "You've really grown up," he commented, barely remembering the bumbling, lazy Demyx of the past. "Fine. I promise you."

Demyx sighed deeply. "Thank you."

"What are you going to do, then?" Axel asked. "How are you going to tell the others? How are you going to tell… Yuffie?" He understood Demyx's decision to come to him first- Axel was a friend he could trust, and one he knew didn't need to be protected.

"I have no idea," Demyx murmured. "I'm afraid to, because I don't know how to react… but she's the one I love most. He could do the most damage to her. She _deserves_ to know… it's all so muddled…" he held his head in his hands.

"I would tell Sora," Axel offered. "He can give you the most help, the most advice."

"You're right. If only we could _find_ him."

"Demyx." A pause. "I'll get you through this."

"I just feel so _dirty_." He contemplated his hands. "It's like I was raped." He squeezed his fingers together. "I never asked for this!"

"I know."

"Any of it! I just wanted to be… normal."

Axel nodded. He didn't know how to feel about this, any of this. There was disgust at the actual situation… compassion and annoyance at Demyx. Confusion, a lot of it. But mostly… there was a lingering feeling of regret.

_You were there at the final battle,_ the little voice whispered. _You should have gone in there, with him, when he confronted Xemnas. He would have never gotten stabbed. This would have never happened, any of it._

Demyx stood. "Excuse me," he said softly. "I'm going to go be sick."

Axel nodded and watched him leave, before finally heading back to the camp.

* * *

><p><strong>Demyx<strong>

Numb, nauseous, and tired beyond belief, I finally stumbled back to the clearing, with an empty stomach and a spinning head. Too much had happened today. I just wanted to sleep.

There was too much to think about, too much I didn't want to ponder. The what-ifs chased each other, one after the other, inside me skull with an incredible force.

_Is this the strong body you want, Xehanort_? I thought bitterly. _Take it now. It's yours._

I had spent the afternoon, more or less, in a state of self-pity and anxiety, mostly because I had never been taught how to react like something like this. There was nothing in my Organization training explaining what to do if someone possessed you. No white mage's manual described the in-depth emotional effects of soul fusion; no song ever documented what it was like to have your pure _being_ violated like this.

I had myself under control, tentatively, for now.

How long would it take before he tried to control me in earnest? Would he just wait and wait until his own body gave out? That seemed like a nice psychological trick of his. Or did he need to test the waters?

Speaking of which, I was thirsty. All that vomiting hadn't done me any good.

Self-control was one of the things I prided myself on- it had taken years and plenty of training to master my powers at the level I had. I could easily read and decipher most emotions, when I concentrated, and could feel them, too. I knew without trying that I could also manipulate the people around me accordingly.

How would he do it? Would he arrive with a sudden bang and try to kill everyone? Or would he be subtler, acting like me and prying the information from their minds?

My stomach heaved, but there was nothing left inside of it to come up.

I had no idea how to approach the others with this. _Hey, nothing's wrong, I've just got a spiritual time bomb inside of me, and it could kind of kill you. No big deal, though._

I knelt at the river by the camp, hoping that the water could give me strength. It was so cold, my wrists hurt.

_Just a month ago, I was a regular person, going about my daily business, living a good life. Now…_

I splashed water onto my face.

"Hello," a voice said pleasantly. I looked up and saw Aaya facing me, holding a dripping basket with some fish in it. I didn't want to face her. I didn't want to face anybody.

_I could kill you,_ I thought. _He could kill you, through me, and not regret it at all._ "Hi," I said weakly. I wanted to be alone. How long would it take me to work through this tangled web, to be able to face people? Would it be forever? Would _he_ be here forever, right next to my heart, inspiring endless doubts of paranoia? I tried not to gag.

"Are you alright?" She asked politely.

"I don't feel very well," I admitted in a small voice.

"We have a few good healers in the village. I'm sure one of them could help you."

"It'll pass, thank you." The puking would, anyway. But her kindness did make me feel a little better.

"How did your mission go?" She asked. "Fine, I hope?"

I went to stand, but my knees were weak. "It was… okay. We didn't really find much." We found out too much. My stomach squeezed again.

"Oh. I'm… sorry." She cleared her throat. "I've been speaking to your… beloved. She's worried. She hasn't seen you all day."

_Yuffie_. Anxiety washed through me. It would be easy, so easy, for him to get to her, especially if we were kissing… "Yes… I should get back…"

"You didn't want her to know you were sick, did you?"

I smiled weakly at her innocence. "No. I'm… embarrassing when I'm like this." That was true, at least.

"Well, I hope you feel better soon," she told me, and took the path back to the camp.

"Thank you," I whispered.

When I finally went back to the camp, it was almost dark. Yuffie rushed at me immediately, hugging me tightly. "Where have you been all this time?"

I hugged her, too, glad for the embrace, badly wanting to be comforted.

I didn't have to respond. "You smell funny," she said.

"I think I ate something bad," I lied. In my peripheral, Axel caught the lie, and scowled.

Yuffie smiled understandingly. "Well, we can rest as long as you like."

I could lie, when I had to, and even worse, I could lie _well_. I had a good memory, perfect for remembering what I told whom. Around my friends, though, I hated telling lies, no matter how small, because I jeopardized their hard-earned trust. Not to mention, the sixth sense that both Axel and I still had revealed any falsehoods.

Would this be where the lies began? Startled, I already realized I _had_ lied to her- when we were still home, about the decision I'd made not to tell her about Aerith's prophecy.

Why did everything just have to _suck_? We were supposed to trust each other with our lives, and yet, here I couldn't tell her about the two most serious things I knew about the mission!

I didn't want to lie to Yuffie. I didn't want to hurt her that way.

She leaned into me. "Hey, what's wrong with you?" She asked. "You look…"

"Sick?" I provided.

"No. Worried. Anxious."

I put my hands on her shoulders. "Don't worry about me," I told her. "Please."

"If I don't," she said, face set, "Nobody will." She kissed me on the cheek, and went to sit by the fire.

* * *

><p>Wow... man, that was dark.<br>This chapter turned out a little short, but I feel I managed to illustrate the situation and how everyone felt about it well. Hopefully I'll deal a little more with Yuffie and the plot in the next chapter; she can't stay in the dark forever.

It's not normally in my business to explain my day-to-day life, but I'm so excited! In four days I'll be street-legal to drive in my state. Watch out, everyone! XD I really also have some cool birthday plans, just hanging with my friends.

A big thank-you to **DJ36521, Mystical, TheChel, Rexness613, littlev123, SoraIsMyHomeboy, **and Anna for reviewing last chapter. I'm so glad you all liked it!

Stay tuned!


	19. Uncertainty

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Chapter Eighteen

Uncertainty

**Yuffie**

Demyx slept long and hard. I watched him breathe for a few moments, glad that at least sleep granted him some sort of calm.

I wasn't an idiot. I knew something was going on. I hadn't seen him act like that in a long, long time, and when he had, nothing good had come of it.

I also had the feeling that I was being deliberately left in the dark, but I had no way to push myself into the situation without making Demyx more miserable.

What was going on? What could be bothering him? I hated not knowing things. It made me feel vulnerable.

I leaned into him, trying to absorb some early-morning calm before the day began. Times like these, I could almost believe things were the way they used to be.

But they weren't. This was a time of confusion, of _war_. Us against them. I made a note to myself to ask Axel just what the hell was going on.

As expected, he told me nothing. "What do you mean? There's nothing to know." He would be an excellent liar if he didn't have a habit of keeping his eyes off of the person he was lying to.

"I saw him take you aside yesterday," I stated flatly. "There's definitely something funny going on here."

"You don't say?" Axel sighed. "As much as it pains me to say it, it really is Demyx's choice, when to tell you. Let him cope with it a little while."

"Tell me what?"

"What did I just say?"

I could have screamed with frustration. "I'm tired of not knowing anything! Why did he come to _you_ first?"

Axel's eyes flashed. "You don't understand how serious this is. He doesn't want to hurt you. He came to me for _advice_."

I put a hand on my hip. "Why would he hurt me?"

"Why don't you just ask him?" Axel told me lazily. "Go ahead. Ask him. Push too hard."

"Ask me what?" Came the voice. I looked behind me to find Demyx, sleepy and barefoot, at the front of the tent. "Your yelling woke me up."

His hair was disheveled, loose, making him look too young, almost childlike, especially in the way that he rubbed at his eyes. Thinking on it now, he _did_ look different, not quite physically. He looked at both of us differently. Contemplatively.

"Sorry," I whispered.

Axel gave me a dark look, twitching halfway into a smirk before it fell flat. Demyx grabbed his shoes and pulled them on, coming over to us.

"Why were you fighting?" He asked us.

"We weren't fighting," I said meekly.

"We were about to," Axel said lazily, kicking an ember into the small fire.

"Look," I said softly, taking his hand into mine. "I know something's going on here. I don't want to be left in the dark again."

Something seemed to shut off in his eyes. He sat down next to Axel, pulling at the frayed threads of a new hole in his jeans. I ran a hand through his hair. Demyx leaned against me, feeling not quite real.

"Just tell her," Axel said suddenly. "She needs to know. Can you handle it?" I wasn't sure which one of us he was speaking to.

Demyx laughed gently. "It's not a question of whether _she_ can handle it. It's whether _I_ can handle it."

Axel almost snarled. "I'm tired of your self-pity and your carrying on. What will be, will be- get over it!"

Demyx's lip curled, and I thought for a second he would hit Axel. He turned to me, trying to soften his look. "Which version would you like? The short version or the long one?"

"What are you…"

"Remember a little over two years ago, when we went and fought Xemnas?"

"Yes, of course. You killed him."

"It all started then…"

* * *

><p>When he finished speaking, I understood things a whole lot more. That didn't mean I liked them.<p>

Xehanort. We all knew he was alive. Hell, this mission was dedicated to finding him and _killing_ him. But now it felt so much more real, so much more tangible, especially since a piece of him was sitting inside of Demyx.

I had to admit that it changed how I looked at him, and I hated that more than anything. I couldn't help but see a flash of someone else every time I looked at him.

I hated Xehanort. I hated him for poisoning not only Demyx, but also how everyone else saw him. He was sweet, kind, loveable- the exact antithesis of this maniac.

Why would he want Demyx anyway? Logic aside, it didn't make sense to me- Demyx was young and skilled in magic, yes, but not dark magic. He was a white mage, a warrior of water, light. Not darkness.

Was he really just doing this to hurt him? Or was he maybe just trying to eliminate Demyx to make way for his greater enemy?

I didn't want to think about it.

A considerably long time passed. We all just sat there, not making any move to get ready for the day.

Demyx watched me warily, teal eyes cloudy and tired.

"What do we do… now?" I asked finally. "Can we really just go on and pretend this isn't an issue?"

He sighed and cracked his neck, legs curled under him as if he were to meditate. "I just needed to get it out there, because it's a threat now."

"What's a threat?"

"He could come and take me now, anytime. It's a danger. _I'm_ a danger." His eyes were closed. "You guys need to be warned, so you can take appropriate action if I lose control."

My eyes widened. "You mean… kill you?"

"In extreme situations, I suppose." His tone was emotionless, logical. "But… I hope… maybe only pacified?"

"We don't know what's going to happen," Axel said. "Hopefully, nothing."

Demyx sighed deeply. "It's just a question, of what now?"

"Well, what do you plan on doing?" I looked at him. "Do you have any ideas?"

"I know for a fact that I need to speak to Sora, which leads us right back to our original problem- getting out of here. As for that, I'm at a loss."

"I wonder where they are, what they're doing," I said.

"Hopefully they haven't given up hope."

Axel, who had been studying the fire in silence, cleared his throat. "I… have a suggestion," he offered. "You need to listen, though, and not say anything until I'm done."

He went on to explain that while we had been imprisoned, Captain Bonny, the ringleader of the pirates, had called him to her room and offered an information on how to get home… in return for something else.

"No," Demyx immediately spat, body still and intense. "Even if these people hadn't helped us in the way they have, I still wouldn't do it. They're innocent, and they don't deserve to be manipulated and _violated_ like that."

"I was expecting that," Axel murmured. "But you won't even consider it? I don't recall you having such a great moral code back in the Organization."

Demyx's eyes flashed with something unfamiliar, and for the briefest second I was _afraid_ of him, because I had seen him angry before, and it was nothing like this. There had never been that same glint in his eyes. It was darker. "I was a being of darkness," he said in a soft voice, enunciating every word. "I see more clearly now. I don't want to hurt people the same way I was hurt."

"You're going to have to confront it sometime, Demyx," Axel spat, spreading his hands. "You were a Nobody, alright? You were a manipulative liar, a thief, a _killer_. Just because you have a heart now doesn't change that."

"_Shut up_!" Demyx had his head in his hands, breathing hard. "I… I don't understand…"

I looked between both of them, confusion ringing inside me. Neither of them had ever really talked about their Nobody pasts unless they talked about a rare positive experience. I hadn't pried. I had never seen reason why… But now, with the revelations of the day…

"I've never killed a man," Demyx said feebly. "Why? Why do you have to bring this up now?"

Axel didn't back off. "Because this is who you'll be," he hissed. "This is who you are, now. As the time passes, he'll bring more and more of that past back if you don't confront it now."

"I can't," he whimpered. He was breathing hard. "You don't understand, Axel." His voice was something soft, broken.

"Stop." It was a scream that came out as a whisper. "Stop it, Axel, you're hurting him!"

"And you," Axel said to me. "What do you know about Demyx's past? Name three things other than where he was born."

"Why are you doing this?" I replied levelly. "You're supposed to be his friend!"

"Stop it, both of you," Demyx moaned. He stumbled to a stand, eyes empty. "Why can't I remember?"

"Remember what?" I asked.

"What did you do?" He was addressing Axel solely.

"All I did was bring your attention to it," he replied.

Demyx, just looked between us as if he had never seen us before, shook his head, and walked off.

"I'm surrounded by strangers," I said aloud. "Who are you, really?"

"I'm the same person, if that's what you mean," Axel replied.

"What's happening to him?"

Axel sighed. "Have you ever thought about his life, before you met him? All it implied?"

"Of course," I said. "But I was more focused on his fresh start. He wasn't in his right mind when he was a Nobody. Why did you have to bring that up, today of all days?"

"I'm scared for him," Axel admitted. "He's spent so long erasing that bad past, trying to make himself so much _better_. But it won't matter how pure his motives are when that thing inside of him brings it all back."

"Brings what back?"

"The human memories."

"He told me he remembers being human." I looked at Axel. "He doesn't lie to me, I know that for a fact."

"He believes what he tells you, too." Axel ran a hand through his hair. "When you live with someone, and you can feel what they feel, you learn things about them. It took me a long time to figure it out. It first started when he was applying for his job. He needed my help with the application, because he didn't know what to write for the education section. When I pressed him, it turned out Demyx didn't even know what school he went to.

"I thought to myself, 'oh, alright, no big deal, it was a long time ago.' But then I realized one big coincidence."

"And what's that?" I asked, my stomach twisting in knots.

"October nineteenth."

"That's his birthday. What about it?"

"It's also the day the Organization found him as a Nobody."

I blinked. "I don't quite follow."

Axel exhaled. "Most of what I think is built on suspicion, not truth," he admitted. "But there was one thing that was clear to me- it was a story Demyx told me a few weeks after we killed Xemnas. He said to me, all casually, 'you know, Axel, he claimed to have met me when I was younger. Found me wandering in the market, lost. He brought me back to my mother.' What he thought he remembered was that Xemnas had put some sort of charm on him that day, and _that's_ why he became a Nobody in the first place."

"He never told me that." I was trying to put it all together now. "Why didn't you say something until now?"

"Admittedly it was on my back burner," Axel continued. "But it all makes sense now, if you think about it."

"And what was it you realized?"

"What I think happened is… his past is not real."

"Not real? How is that possible?"

Axel frowned. "It's actually very easy to change someone's memories. It was one of Vexen's favorite things to experiment with. It is perfectly logical for Xehanort to do that to him, because to Demyx it will make a whole lot of sense. He'll think, okay, he picked me a long time ago; it's all a part of some bigger scheme. And I guess it is. Xehanort _does_ want him for some reason."

"You think Xehanort altered his memories, and that Demyx's exposure to part of his soul will bring back the real ones."

"Yes. Exactly."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "How come I never noticed it? How come I… I never asked him anything about his past? It just didn't seem _important_ because we could be together, and we could go forward without looking back."

"Yes, well," he said softly. "I have a feeling that a lot of things are going to be different from now on."

* * *

><p><strong>Demyx<strong>

Nothing made sense in my head; everything had turned from crystal-clear and logical to a jumbled blur in a matter of seconds. A searing pain bit into my skin, starting low at the base of my neck and increasing in agony. It hurt like nothing I had ever felt before, and I'd had some pretty twisted head wounds.

Axel's words echoed in my head- _because this is who you'll be. This is who you are, now. As the time passes, he'll bring more and more of that past back if you don't confront it now._

What was there to confront?

The pain seared my skull again, and for a second I nearly went blind. I held back the scream.

My mysterious past.

I felt I had really and truly remembered everything from when I was a Nobody, and had retained most of my previous human memories. Nothing about them was really dark or shameful, just sad.

What about it had he meant? Axel never lied to me, or told me bullshit stories anymore; whenever he said something like this, it was serious.

He was my friend, and I had to trust him.

But I was not a killer, and I was not a being of darkness! I was better than that! I never wanted anything to do with darkness again!

_You're stuck with it_, a tiny voice in my head said. _It's inside you, right now. And it's only a matter of time…_

"Shut up!" I yelled aloud at it, clutching my head.

What would this piece of him bring back? I'd anticipated the negative emotions, the evil he'd made me feel. I'd even anticipated the desire he'd instill in me to murder my own friends.

Did Axel mean Xehanort's own memories? I had no idea the past he'd lived; previous to becoming a Heartless/Nobody/full being again, and I'd never cared to look into it. Should I research it? Or did he think that Xehanort's darkness could poison my own real memories?

…Had it already?

The blinding agony struck me a third time, and I screamed aloud. "Stop! Please!" As if my own headache could listen to me.

I tripped on a tree root and fell down, down, landing amongst pine needles. I tasted the sap as I tried to keep breathing.

Would the things I remember be real, or merely created by him to cause me more pain? And how, if ever, would I possibly know the difference?

Even worse, I was at his mercy now, subject to the things he might be able to make me think. My body was no longer my own, but merely a vessel.

I would have been sick if there was anything in my stomach.

One thing was clear to me, however-

I needed Sora. I needed his guidance, his help. He had to know something. He had to have some way to ease this pain.

I forced myself to suck it up and head back to the camp, thoroughly ashamed of myself.

The camp was quiet, preparing for the night. How many days would we continue to pass here? In a world that was outside of time, that was dangerous. Did time flow differently? Had more than a few days passed since we first arrived here? Despite the fact that I had barely done anything all day, I was tired again. I sighed. Maybe tomorrow would be better; maybe we would manage to find the orb and get back to the other world, find Sora, and get back to searching for the key.

Unless it was _here_? It was plausible, and, in fact, made more sense to me than if it was hidden in that other world. And the mineral dust. Axel explained its powers in brief, but I supposed that it might be useful to Xehanort in some form; maybe he wanted it for another crisp advantage, or perhaps he would use it to cure the dangerous instability that now hung over him.

But where to begin? How did we even start to find a way out of here, or look for the key, without betraying the villagers? The only thing I could think of to do was more reconnaissance, and that felt useless, but it was my only tool.

At least these thoughts distracted me from the truth.

Setting foot back inside the village, a couple of the tribesmen caught my eyes and nodded, while most pretended I wasn't there. I went back to the tent we'd slept in for the past few days and sat at the fire pit.

I was so stupid. What had the others been up to all day? I felt like I had abandoned them, just because I couldn't deal with what was going on. Maybe they had found a way out of here and left me. I sighed.

"So you're finally back."

I didn't have to even look to know who was behind me. "Yes. I'm sorry about earlier."

He smirked. "To be honest, I'm surprised you didn't make a bigger fuss out of it."

I gave him a look. "Shut up, Axel." A pause. "Where's Yuffie?"

"I expect she's around here somewhere. She said she needed to think, and you know she thinks with her shuriken. She's probably taking it out on some poor innocent tree."

"…I feel bad. I wish this wasn't happening."

He shrugged. "Me too. But we've got to keep moving. We need to find the key and get out of here, so we can find Sora and see if there's some way to get this thing under control." His stare was especially intense. "So it doesn't take away _your_ control."

"But where to start?"'

"…I suppose that if we really needed, was could assault the captain," he said. "I'm not sure how much love they've got for her, but it would still be a big risk, since they've all got guns."

I pushed my hair out of my face. "More recon it is, then."

* * *

><p>Everything was dark, fuzzy, and unclear. My body was weak, uncertain, coordination unstable. I felt like I was strapped down on a table, watching a TV that badly needed to be tuned. The only words I had to describe the sensation were <em>vertigo<em> and _static._

Someone was speaking, very distantly. I strained my ears to hear, wanting badly to get up, but found I was unable.

"…Told you it was a calculated risk, My Lord. The dust definitely has healing properties, but the spirits only allow those with pure ambition to…"

"It doesn't matter, Fludd. It's a risk I need to take. I need my strength back."

"Surely there are other ways… You'll be trespassing on a sacred place… you underestimate these spirits."

A dark laugh. My vision flickered strongly, painfully, for a second, before giving way again. "You think I fear mere _tree spirits_?"

"They have defended that land to the ends of their lives…"

Another interruption. "Yes. The end."

Fludd sighed. "My Lord, I must advise that you do not…"

"I believe it is in my own power to decide what I will and will not do, Fludd. The payoff is greater than the consequence. Once I'm finished here… I will need my key back…"

Key. Key. What did I need to remember about a key?

"Absolutely. I have guarded it most fiercely."

"You have done well, Fludd, even if you only aid me out of fear."

"I don't want any of the people here hurt. This is the only way."

"Yes, yes, I suppose you're right…" A long pause. "And you must destroy the orb."

"M-my Lord?"

"The orb. You've got to destroy it. _They're here_, Fludd. If they find it, it won't be long until they leave."

"But I thought you wanted…"

"Perhaps with this dust, I won't need him. But he has a way to stop me (or so he thinks), and no matter how slim that chance is, I simply can't take _that_ risk."

"But I've been working on this project my whole life… interplanetary transport… this could _revolutionize_ everything! You can't simply ask me to destroy it! Can't I simply hide it?"

"I can't take the risk that they'll find it."

"But My Lord…"

"_You'll do it, Fludd, or I'll kill you._"

Fludd took a trembling breath. "Yes. I shall destroy it, My Lord, as soon as I can."

"You lie." A chuckle. "But I know you'll come over to the right side eventually. You could be of such use to me, Fludd, and your work won't go unpaid. You could have the power of darkness on your side… do you know how that would further your alchemy? You could do things, discover more knowledge than any mortal who has ever lived… the orb you've created will seem like a silly children's toy compared to all the things you can make…"

"I believe you, sir." The voice was shaky.

"Good. I will be back in a matter of hours. By then, the orb better be destroyed, and you better have found me a way into that colony."

"Yes, My Lord."

There was the sound of a strong wind, and for a second everything went black, but before I lost consciousness entirely, something fell onto the floor beside me. It was a map… a map of Neverland…

* * *

><p>I woke up suddenly, blinking unsteadily. The skin of the tent turned the sunlight brown and dim. I sat up, running a hand through my tangled hair.<p>

It's progressing so fast.

Was it only yesterday- or the day before- that I realized what was inside me? And here I was, already experiencing these convenient visions that gave me a dim insight into his mind.

Did he get visions, too? Did he suddenly wake up knowing what _Demyx _was going out to do today? He had to know exactly where we were- he'd physically found us already- but did he know what I was thinking, too? How could we possibly outsmart him, then?

I sighed, and pondered over what I'd seen before I began to forget.

He had an alchemist under his control, one of them on this world somewhere. I assume he was near to us, but where would he hide? And he had the orb. And the key. So if we found him, basically we solved most of our recent problems in one fell swoop.

But this Fludd guy, or so his name was, was clearly only in it because he was being threatened. If I ever met him, I could use this to my advantage… Yet what could I offer him? Protection? Yeah, right. I could barely protect _myself_.

And again, the mineral dust had been brought up. He wanted it, too, and by the sounds of it, he felt as if it would bring him back to full strength. Xehanort had seemed pretty powerful to me the last time we had met… if that was his weakened form, then what would he be like… at full strength?

At least I was able to tell now, roughly, both where this pool was. Why did Fludd say that only the innocent could be immersed in it? Maybe it was just tradition?

Either way, this being a trap or no, it was still the piece of information we'd been searching for.

I looked around the tent blearily, seeking to wake my friends to tell them what I'd seen… but I found the tent empty. Figuring that they had merely gone out to the village, I poked my head out of the tent, and realized something was very wrong.

There was nobody here. I pulled on my shoes and took an unsteady step outside the tent. I knew then that it hadn't been noise or a natural stir that woke me- it had been the sudden absence of noise.

The village had been deserted, and quite clearly in a hurry, too. The ashes and embers of the cooking fires had been scattered, burning feebly in the dirt as my footsteps scattered them. Possessions and food had been left helter-skelter, and some of the stools had been knocked over.

The people who had been here had to have been under siege. Where had they all gone? And why had my friends left me like that without waking me up first? Either I had to have been too deeply asleep, or they had been taken against their will.

"Hello?" I called weakly. "Is anybody there?"

Some birds pecked at an abandoned piece of bread, fluttering their wings. I walked to the very edge of the village, seeing nothing but the tangle of woods beyond. I swallowed. Where had they all gone? The first thought that struck my mind- Heartless- was likely, but then, wouldn't Axel and Yuffie be here? They were both plenty able to take a few of them, but these Heartless were different. Were they more replicas, or people like the creatures that had kidnapped us? Or were there soul-suckers?

My blood ran ice cold.

"Oi, I'm tellin' you, nobody's here."

Instinctively, I dove behind a tree and hid there, not breathing.

"I know that, I know that, but we've got to make sure we've rounded 'em all up. Besides, there might be some nice pickins, if you know what I mean."

I peered around the snarl of tents at them, two lone pirates strolling up the village center. They both appeared young, strong, and I was sure that the many years in an ageless stasis had only helped their reflexes. I didn't know what to do.

Without killing them, there _was_ one thing I could do. It was a silly trick, really, and would only serve as a distraction… I only needed a few seconds to knock them unconscious.

"You hear something?"

I froze, my hand stretched towards them.

"Must be the birds. You drinking again?" The second pirate laughed.

"No, I just feel like we're being watched…"

"Oh, bollocks. Nobody's here."

I lifted my palm again. It always felt wrong, messing with people's insides, no matter what damage was done, if any. It would just take a little more pressure…

My hand slipped; one of the pirates gasped for breath and fell to the ground, choking on fluid in his lungs. A strange ping ran up my spine.

The other, unharmed pirate held up his musket, trembling. "Oi! I know you're there! Come out before I… before I kill you!"

Frozen in place, I didn't dare move. I was breathing shallowly. That man… I didn't kill him, did I?

The pirate I'd made a mistake on coughed, still alive. He pointed in my general direction. "Over there. He's over there. I can see him."

I ducked just in time as the pirate with the gun shot at my hiding place, missing my face by centimeters. I took off running, diving and swerving around the tents.

"Get back here! Get back here and face me like a man!" I heard more gunshots, but didn't slow down to see where they hit. I didn't see the tree root that tripped me up, snagging my shoe. I fell over in a heap, all of the breath knocked out of me. As I struggled to take a decent breath, I heard footsteps and a muted click, and found the barrels of two guns staring me in the eye.

"Got you," one of them said, with a wide smirk. "You're a slippery one."

"It's that boy from the ship," the other mused. "The one Bonny put in the prisons."

"Even better. You're in a lot of trouble, you are. The Captain doesn't take her enemies lightly."

At first I was submissive, prepared to just let them take me prisoner, but something tugged at my instinct; I knew that it wasn't going to end this way.

Quicker than I ever had, I summoned the Keyblade in a flash of light.

They stumbled backwards in surprise. "What is that thing?"

I leapt to my feet, buzzing with adrenaline and panic. "Get back!" I yelled. "Get away from me!"

One of the pirates laughed. "You think you can beat us with that funny sword?" He took aim.

Time had slowed. I was able to clearly see the path that the bullet would take, and managed to deflect it just in time.

"So you know a few tricks," the other said, trying to appear as if he wasn't frazzled.

"I know more than that," I hissed, my mind flying too quickly. Everything was so bright, so suddenly supersharp. I was breathing hard. "Now tell me. What did you do here?"

Someone responded, but the voice came from behind me. "Oh, dear, you'll have to try better than that." A woman's voice.

Instinctively, I turned rather than freezing up. I heard her shoot before I saw the bullet. Unlike before, time seemed to be moving too quickly.

The gunfire echoed in the trees. Metalskinstingfierypain.

I collapsed to the ground, clutching at the new wound with my teeth bared. Dampness under me. I'd never been shot. How bad was it?

The fiery pain licked at my chest. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't…

"Be glad I didn't do worse to you, I've just earned a very powerful enemy," I heard, before I succumbed to unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>Sorry for how long it took between updates. There should be only a few more chapters on this world. I'm really psyched about the next one. :3<p>

This chapter feels cheap. Not bad, but just like the plot devices have been used too much. What do you think, personally? I want to improve this story.

Hopefully more soon!

A big thanks to _**littlev123, Mystical, Rexness613, Wolven24KH, TheChel,** _and _**SoraIsMyHomeboy**_ for continuing to support this story.


	20. Choice

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Chapter Nineteen

Choice

**Yuffie**

"Let go of me! I said, _let go_!" But screaming and kicking was useless. All of my limbs were pinned to my body- I couldn't _see_…

The siege had happened so quickly… one moment I was fast asleep, the next I was being roughly grabbed and tied up. I'd barely managed to scream before I was being held at gunpoint and thrown over someone's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

That's what I felt like.

I had no idea what was going on in the village, but I hoped everyone was okay. What had happened? Why had the pirates seized the village so suddenly? _How_ had they even found it…?

And where were my friends? Where were Demyx and Axel?

"You've got the girl?"

"She's right here. Take her." I was being traded hands. I thrashed harder, screaming, trying to make as much noise as possible, only to have a revolting-tasting fabric shoved in my mouth as a gag.

"What am I to do with her?"

A low laugh. "Whatever you want, I guess, until she's needed."

From behind my blindfold, I tensed. Around my panic, the scents and sounds of my surroundings had changed, from the wide-open sound of the surface to the wooden sloshing of the inside of the boat. _Oh, no…_

They continued to carry me for some time, downstairs, further into the hull of the ship.

"Captain, what do you want me to do with her?"

"Just set her down for a moment," A woman said scornfully. "It'll just be a few minutes."

A few minutes until what?

They let me fall onto the ground. I felt wood against my cheek. In front of the blindfold, it was dark; I could just feel it. I breathed deeply through my nose, trying to convince myself that I was outside, on hard, solid land, rather than inside a boat that was constantly in motion. I didn't need to be sick when I could possibly choke on it.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed: it could have been minutes, and it could have been hours. My limbs were gradually starting to lose their feeling from the way they were tied together. It was clear to me, though- I would have to get out of this on my own. But how would I do that when I had no knife, no use of my arms?

I needed to sit up, at risk of my own asphyxiation. I ignored my nausea like my life depended on it, which it did. _Imagine you're back home,_ I told my stomach. _The ground is all nice, hard rock. You haven't eaten in hours. You're starving. Empty._

How to sit up without arms? My core was strong enough, and it was wonderful that they'd leaned me against a wall. I held my breath and counted to five before I attempted the heave. A few blindingly dizzy seconds later, I was upright, but sliding down the wall. I took a few breaths to clear my head. Next, I had to get this blindfold off.

There was a distant _crash_ above my head, but I ignored it. How would I do this? I'd have to drag my head against the wall, and only if I were lucky would this work out. Footsteps hammered above me; for a second, I thought I'd been caught out. If only I had a nice dull nail, enough to pull the cloth off without cutting me…

A few seconds of sliding found such a thing, and it took some seconds of blind prodding to get the knot onto it. I pulled down, hard, also yanking off my headband, but gifting me with sight. I would have cheered at my small victory, but the gag prevented it. That was next.

Suddenly, a second crash, this one even louder than the first, startled me. A great whiteness swallowed my vision, a light so bright I was blinded again. As dots swam in my eyes, I realized that _it was the sunlight, and the wooden door above me had been completely torn off…_

Panic swallowed me, adrenaline buzzing. I writhed until I was sitting up, still for the most part completely immobile, and looked into the sky.

I saw a massive centipede, with giant leathery wings, staring right at me…

I screamed into my gag out of complete reflex, trying to worm my body _away_, but there was no room. I was right in its path.

_Ohpleasenoohpleaseno_

The monster inched forward, sniffing the air, sniffing _me_, my essence. My heart was beating so hard.

A long tentacle reached down, grasping the ropes that bound me, pulling me upwards into the bright summer air… It breathed on my face, that same sulfuric scent, and I was almost sick. I closed my eyes tightly, whole body useless, and prayed it would be quick…

The anticipation killed. I opened my eyes a split second later, only to find another tentacle reaching towards my chest… closer… ever more closer…

There was no sense of contact, no pain. All I knew was that one second, I was whole, and the next, everything had turned a dazzling shade of white.

* * *

><p><strong>Demyx<strong>

I opened my eyes to darkness. The stinging pain in my chest had gone, but I had a feeling it wasn't because I'd healed.

Was it possible that this mission was over already? Had Bonny killed me? Had I really given my life for nothing? I felt too real to be dead, too solid, and I was _aching_ too much. I tried to move, but found some unseen force held me down. I could feel sand under my hands. Strange. There were no stars in the sky…

"Try not to move to much," a voice above me said, startling me. "Keeping you here is very complicated." A pause. "Okay, now you can sit up, but slowly."

I did so, suddenly feeling my wound flare up with a vengeance. I clutched at it and gritted my teeth.

"Sorry. It's been a long time since I've had to use Cure."

I gazed towards the sound with dim, unfocused eyes. "Who're you? Where am I? And how come I'm not dead?"

"We're in the Realm of Darkness," she said off-handedly, because it was definitely a she. "I managed to get to you just in time."

"The Realm of Darkness?!" I sat straight up, feeling a stab of pain. I winced. I definitely was still human- I wouldn't feel this panic otherwise.

"Yes," she told me informatively, "But don't worry, you're safe."

"Safe…" I squinted at her. She was a young woman, for the most part, maybe my age, but something in her eyes and voice made her seem much older. She had shorn blue hair and slightly darker eyes. I'd never met her, and yet I knew her… "Who are you?" I repeated.

"I came here because I knew I had to save you… you're the only way we can defeat him."

"What's your name?" I pressed further.

Something hardened in her blue eyes. "My name," she said wonderingly, "My name is Master Aqua."

* * *

><p>"Get back. Get away from me!" Axel yelled, and he knew how he had to look. His eyes were warm- they had to be glowing. It was rare he felt rage like this. His hair was probably on fire, too. He hoped the pirates' old-fashioned superstitions would continue to keep them back. He held his chakrams, poised to kill. He stormed through the rapidly parting crowd, seeking Captain Bonny, absolutely seething, the sand under his feet turning to glass.<p>

She took in his altered appearance with a barest twitch of an eyebrow, but he could tell she was afraid, or at least unnerved. She faced him at her full height, only coming to his shoulder.

"What did you do?" He hissed.

"I knew you wouldn't give me the information I needed," she replied calmly. "So, when you were waiting, I took this from your friend's bag." She held up a small piece of cloth that Axel recognized as part of one of Demyx's shirts. "As it turns out, all we had to do was get our dogs to follow this scent. I knew he would be near you at all times."

"And _how_ did you expect that to help you get the information?"

Bonny smirked. "It won't be hard to get it out of the chief, now that I have his daughter, and all of his people. And it was all thanks to _you_."

Axel wasn't finished. "Where are they? My friends?"

"I find they'll fetch a pretty price," she told him. "Pity I was only able to find the girl."

"…The girl?" Where was Demyx, then? He was filled with suspicion. "Where is she, then?"

"And why should I tell you?"

"I'll kill you."

"That's always the threat," she sighed. "Haven't you people ever considered I don't mind dying?"

He laughed. "You were the one seeking the life of a god."

"Yes, but one must be practical." She lifted her pistol, that same smirk on her face. "Shall we duel this out?"

"I can think of nothing better to do." Something flickered in his peripheral. What was it? He couldn't risk taking his eyes off of her. It was coming closer to them, at an unbelievable speed.

But it was Bonny who moved; she must have sensed the change in the atmosphere as surely as Axel had. It had gone suddenly from a sunny, warm summer day to a cold, cloudy one, and the scent of darkness permeated the air. Risking it, Axel looked in the direction of her eyes.

It had a long, serpentine body, with many legs and leathery arms… he hadn't seen it himself, but he'd heard it described, and the lack of emblem on its chest only confirmed his gut feeling…

The monster hovered above the ship, flapping its wings, each beat causing the tendons in the wings to cycle through nauseatingly.

_Yuffie_, Axel thought suddenly, _they'd be keeping her in the ship…_ His heart slipped. They might not have been best friends, but he definitely didn't want her dead…

The beast used its long tail to thrash at the hull, sending splintering wood everywhere. Axel, on instinct, ran towards the ship, only to be stopped when he remembered that it was surrounded by _water_- gallons and gallons of power-weakening water. He only had one shot at this, then- he lifted his hand and pulled the energy deeply from within… he'd only tried it once before…

"Oi, that thing's destroying my ship!" The Captain screamed. All of the pirates simultaneously fired at it; it barely showed that it had been hit.

_Come on, now,_ Axel thought, desperation growing as he struggled to find that much raw energy. He grasped a hold on the power, encouraging it to come forward… something sparked in his hand. _It'll kill her!_ He thought desperately.

Bright blue light sparked in his palms, the bitter taste of electricity. The lightning arced overhead, growing uncontrollably, feeding directly off of his own energy source. He could feel the strength draining from him. _Just a little more…_

"_Hey_!" He yelled at the monster. "_Don't fight me like a coward_!" It turned towards him, but one of its tentacles reached towards the splintered hull… Axel screamed in rage and let the lightning loose, throwing it straight at the monster.

There was a bright flash. The pirates swore and covered their eyes. Bonny stared, blinded. "Bloody hell…"

The monster twitched, electricity making its body spasm. It faltered, and for a second Axel thought he'd had it. But the beast gave a mighty flap of its wings, and regained strength. "No, no, _no_!" He yelled, throwing his chakrams, but the tentacle had pulled a tied bundle from the ship's hull- he could see her hair and boots from here. The creature lowered its mouth to her chest, preparing to kiss…

The weapons struck its skull, and contrary to pushing it aside or back, they pushed the thing _forward_… There was a horrible, ear-splitting sound that Axel could have never described, and then… a corpse fell, bleeding and untied now.

He had stopped caring. He ran right into the water, feeling his remaining energy deplete entirely, sloshing knee-high, waist-high, until he was swimming to the ladder on the side of the ship, scaling it, clambering onto the deck, following the tear in the hull to a bloodstain, a young woman limp and unmoving…

"Please don't die on me," he whispered as he pulled at her body. "Please, please don't die on me…" He was dripping wet, every part of his body soaked. All of his magic was useless, he could feel it, but he still tried anyway… "No, no, no, no…" He needed Demyx's healing powers, anything to stop the colossal bleeding.

"Please don't die… please, please don't die…" his voice was a strangers. He was weak. He was vulnerable. And he had just killed his best friend's girlfriend.

* * *

><p><strong>Demyx<strong>

Master Aqua. I'd never met a female Keyblade Master, but she fit my idea of one- she had that unbreakable look in her eye… she reminded me of Yuffie. "And… as you seem to already know me… how did you get here? If you're a Master, why are you in the Realm of Darkness?"

She smiled, but it contained no happiness. "That's a long story we don't have time for."

"But how did you know I was hurt?"

"I have a way to see into the real world," she explained. "For a long time, I've been watching those connected to my friends. Demyx, have you ever wondered where _Sora_ got his Keyblade?"

"…No…" it had never occurred to me. I suppose I thought he had just been born with the ability.

"It was passed on to him, just like yours was. In a very roundabout sort of way, he received it from my best friend… Terra."

Terra? Why did that name sound familiar? Something stirred in my chest, most likely my wound flaring again.

"Terra was forced into the darkness many years ago… and I'm waiting here, still trying to find a way to help my friends."

"How long have you been here?" I asked in surprise. She looked so _young_.

"Thirteen years," she said bitterly. "And, as far as I know, I'm trapped."

"I'm so sorry," I said. My limbs had started to tingle. But then, if she had brought me here, why couldn't she leave? I turned to ask her, but she cut me off.

"Now I can't hold you here any longer. Listen to me. You have to save him. You have to save my friend!"

"What?" I said, but everything had started to fade.

When my vision cleared again, I was lying on my back on the dirt floor of the village.

I sat up, ignoring the rush of vertigo. The pirates were gone. Bonny was gone. They had just left me here, presuming me dead, not bothering to check if I had survived the shot.

I thought all of this with a dim mindset. I was tired, aching, wanting badly to sleep, and not even able to remember the last time I ate something. I stumbled to my feet.

Now that I was no longer in mortal danger, it brought the more important issues to mind- where were Axel and Yuffie? They had to have either escaped, or been captured, and I doubted they would have escaped without me. If the pirates had captured them, they had to be back at the ship.

I exhaled. I didn't have the energy to carry out a rescue mission, but I didn't have time to rest. They could be in danger. I walked in the direction of the edge of the village; only to discover that I didn't know the way out- it was hidden, right. I groaned. With no one around, I had no way out, and was essentially stuck here unless one of them managed to escape.

Right then, I noticed something sticking out of the soil. Coiled up, it looked like a stick, but when I picked the object up and unfurled it, it was a map drawn on a skin. A map… just like the one I'd seen in the vision.

Everything was clearly marked, written in the villagers' native tongue, but I didn't need to know the names of these places to understand which was which. The art was beautiful, even if it was only in one shade of ink. I could clearly see the harbor, the village, the surrounding forest, and the ice floes where we'd first appeared. To the far north of the village, surrounded by dense trees, was a circle with a fairy drawn inside of it.

The tree spirit colony. The Captain had what she wanted now.

Corrupted or no, I hoped she had beaten Xehanort there.

_I_ had to get there; I had to stop them both. I had to find Fludd before he was killed, get the key, and get the orb.

I needed to save my friends first.

"Help me…" the voice was weak and fragile, but definite. I whirled around in the direction of the sound. "Please, somebody help me…"

"Hello?" I asked desperately. "Is anybody there?"

"Hey! I'm over here!"

"Where are you?" I wandered towards the sound of the voice. "Keep calling, I'll find you." It didn't occur to me that this could be a pirate just waiting to ambush me; it was a goal I could easily fulfill, and I could handle a fight if it was thrown at me.

I followed the sound of his voice over to a space between two tents. Lying there, in a crumpled heap, was an elderly man, dressed in a neat suit. He was clearly wounded; his jacket had that reddish tinge of blood on black fabric.

"Oh, good," the man said weakly. "You've found me." He had an accent similar to Luxord's, though more prominent.

My healing skills kicked into overtime. I helped him lay back. "How did you get this way?"

"I was trying to run from the inevitable."

I pulled the fabric gently away from the wound. It was hard to tell exactly what put it into his skin- a bullet or a knife, or something else. It was just a serrated mess, stretching from his right hip upwards. I focused on knitting the bones together. "Who are you?" I asked gently. "You're not a villager. How did you get here?"

"I was looking for you," he said, matter-of-fact.

I looked up, but didn't stop healing. "Me?"

And it became clear. Suddenly I could place his voice- it had been in my dream. He was the alchemist that Xehanort recruited, Fludd. "Yes, you," the man said calmly.

"But how did you get here?"

"I've explored every inch of this world, in my time here," he told me. "It wasn't hard for me to find this place. I'm glad I wasn't too late."

"You've nearly gotten yourself killed," I commented. "You should be glad you didn't lose any more blood with this. I'm surprised you're so lucid."

He laughed lightly, and then winced with the pain. He pushed my hand away. "Because it's my time to die."

"W-what?" I blinked. "What do you mean?" His pulse was steady, his wounds clean. I didn't understand.

"You need to do something for me," he replied calmly. "As soon as I'm gone, you need to go. You need to get away from here, far away. You have to find the orb, please. I know who you are and what you're looking for, and he's trying to destroy it. He will, too. That's why you have to get there first. It's all there for you."

"You're not dying," I told him firmly. "You're fine, okay?" But he had to be right- something about his existence was just _slipping._

"I've been cursed," Fludd said softly. "Cursed for my betrayal."

I recognized what the slipping meant- he was falling into the darkness, his heart stained with it. There was nothing I can do for him.

"Here." The alchemist pulled something out of his pocket, pressing the object into my hands. "What you need is in the highest tower. Now go. Go now."

"But I can't," I said suddenly. "I have to save my friends. My friends, they've been captured…"

"And what is more important, boy, your friends, or saving the World?"

I paused. "I don't know how to answer that…"

"Then don't think." His form was starting to morph, to change. "Just do." The darkness was consuming him. "And please… save my work."

I leapt back, knowing what was about to happen and wanting to be as far away from it as possible. I closed my eyes, trying not to see the image that would be undoubtedly ingrained into my mind.

The newly born Heartless, a Shadow, ran away, its thin black body disappearing amongst the trees.

I looked at the object in my hands, a silver and glass disc, shining with some sort of luminescence. The blue and green shapes in the object shifted, changing slightly but intricately, weaving into a whole other interpretation of this place.

It was a map.

I was confronted with a choice- I could go save my friends, or I could go get the orb, and, most likely, the key.

That is, if Fludd _could_ be trusted. Xehanort had no longer felt that he was serving him loyally, and had forced his transformation into a Heartless. That meant he wasn't on Xehanort's side, so I could most likely trust what he said, but he could also have orders to send me up there. Xehanort could be up there now, waiting for me, and that was a risk I didn't want to take right now, when I was still so inexperienced with the Keyblade.

Was he being overdramatic?

The key was there, too; it had to be. Xehanort wanted to find and take both the key and the orb, to make sure that we were trapped here and unable to complete the mission. It made me wonder, again, what these keys did. Would they lead to a secret world? Would they help us destroy him?

I sighed. Just do, he'd said, but my instincts felt evenly divided.

"I'm sorry, guys," I whispered, studying the map. "I'll come back for you."

* * *

><p>In Axel's shocked state of mind, he almost didn't hear the footsteps that came up behind him. "What do you want?" He snarled, knowing who was behind him, with some of her cronies.<p>

"They can save her, you know," the captain informed him. "The tree spirits."

"It's not her body that needs saving," he muttered.

"It's worth a try," she replied evenly. "After all… that friend of yours seems awfully attached to her…"

"She's my friend too," Axel continued.

Bonny pulled a flash out of her jacket. He thought she would take a drink, or offer it to him, but she poured the alcohol right onto her hands. Disinfecting them, he realized. Shame. What a waste. "I'll help you," she told him. "We can at least try to get her stable, and then we'll see what we can do next."

"Demyx," Axel said. "Demyx is a skilled healer. He can fix her. Where is he?"

There was something definite about the way she avoided his eyes. "I need clean linen," she told one of the pirates, "and some rum."

"Where is he?" Axel asked more loudly.

"I shot him in the middle of the village," she told him simply. "He's dead."

He stood up abruptly. "No. You're lying. You didn't kill him!"

"Do you want to see for yourself?"

That terrible rage was back. He was shaking; steam billowed off of his wet skin. He needed his weapons, but was too weak, too drained to summon them. He'd strangle Bonny, he decided, with his bare hands.

But he couldn't stop watching the captain as she tended to Yuffie's physical wounds, gently washing them off with distilled water, and then more alcohol before wrapping them in some torn bits of tablecloth.

Axel was at an impasse. He was being pulled in two places- staying with Yuffie to make sure she wouldn't die before she received real care, and finding Demyx, to make sure he wasn't dead as well.

He couldn't be in two places.

"I'll stay here with the girl," Bonny said, turning her blue eyes onto him.

"I need your word," he snarled. "I need your word that you won't do any more damage."

"…You have my word," She told him, eyes hard.

Axel tore through the forest, blindly seeking the village, fully aware that he had no idea how to get there but still doggedly moving forward anyway. The shock of what happened to Yuffie and the temporary paralysis of his powers made him feel unusually muddled and emotional. He just knew he needed a stationary, easy goal, and that was finding Demyx.

Axel knew that his friend wasn't dead- he hoped so, anyway. But Demyx seemed to have a tendency to make miracle recoveries, and Axel was banking on that.

It actually wasn't so hard to locate the village- he merely followed the trails the pirates ravaged as they brought along the hostages. The little sticks and messy footprints were so ironically helpful. They might as well have given him a map.

When Axel approached the village, he wasn't surprised to see how much of a mess it was. Ashes from cooking fires were everywhere; tents had collapsed or been knocked over; personal possessions were scattered in the dirt. Axel's eyes darted wildly around the site. Where was he? "Demyx!" He called, deciding the time for subtlety was long over, "Demyx, where are you?"

A resolute voice called back, "I'm over here!"

Axel glanced in the direction of the voice. There was Demyx, alive and seemingly unhurt, and actually looking healthier than he had been yesterday. In fact, Axel would have suspected Bonny of lying if he didn't see the bloodstain of Demyx's shirt.

"Thank goodness you're okay," Demyx said, starting towards him, anxiety written all over his face. "But… why's your hair all messed up?"

Axel put a hand to his head- his hair had fallen limp when he went in the water. "I was… swimming."

"_You?_ Why?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Look, you just have to go with me straight away… it's important…"

"What happened?" He looked anxious, his face drawn as he took Axel's appearance in. "What…"

Axel held up a hand. "What's that you've got?" Demyx had a silvery, round object in his hand, something akin to a pocket watch.

"It doesn't matter right now. Where's Yuffie?" His expression had changed again, this time suspicious.

There was such a long silence that Axel was sure he suspected something. When Demyx spoke again, there was a deliberate slowness to his words.

"Listen. I've just been tipped off where the orb and key are… and we have to get there straightaway, or else it might be too late." He showed the watch again, which Axel realized wasn't a watch, but rather, a sort of map imprinted on the smooth surface. "Do you think we should just go there now? …Before you have to tell me this news?"

When Axel was silent again, Demyx just sighed. "You know," he said. "I know the odds are against us, and that this could all be a trap, but it's the only lead I've got and…"

"Okay." Axel cut through his garbled sentence.

"Okay… what?" Something was darkly knowing in those teal eyes.

"Okay. Let's do it. Let's go now." Axel paused. "Just letting you know, though… I'm useless right now. My powers are weak."

"You shouldn't have been swimming." He exhaled. "What you have to tell me… it isn't good, is it?"

"Just read the stupid map."

* * *

><p>The hike was long and tedious, and led them up the side of a mountain. Demyx was oddly calm and focused, which soothed Axel's frayed nerves. However, he couldn't help but feel pity for what was to come.<p>

"What is it we're looking for?" He asked Demyx.

"Some kind of facility. At least, that's what the alchemist said. He said what we need is in the highest tower, so it's most likely a castle."

"He had to have been here a long time, to have built a castle." Axel sighed.

"It's almost like being a Nobody," Demyx commented offhandedly. "You're in stasis, effectively alive and dead at the same time."

"I think these people look on it more as immortality. They're all human." He thought of Bonny and wrinkled his nose. "And all that entails."

Demyx nodded. "But… do you ever think of it often?"

"Think of what?"

"Being a Nobody."

Axel frowned. "I'm starting to more and more."

"Me too. I wonder how we were so blind." Blind to Xehanort's plans.

"We were selfish, and we were manipulated."

"But are we doing the right thing?" He pushed away a vine full of thorns, receiving a handful of bleeding scratches. "If he's come back so many times, what's it to say that he won't be defeated forever when I… when I kill him?" Demyx swallowed, nursing his cut hand. "What if he keeps latching onto other people when he dies? Is he only possessing me for insurance, when he's killed?" He said all of it in a rational, even tone.

"Then we'll have to kill you," Axel said bluntly. "I don't want it to happen, but it's a possibility."

Demyx nodded calmly. "Let's keep going."

As the time passed, the bright white clouds in the sky slowly gathered and turned gray. As they stumbled farther up the mountain, the air became more and more humid, and eventually it started to rain.

Axel was unsure how long they climbed; it had to be several hours. The rain grew heavier and thicker, and made it harder to see. Demyx's clothing and hair were dripping wet, but Axel was oddly dry. Demyx was protecting him from the rain.

The scenery changed as they came to the summit of the mountain. Overhead, the sky seemed to darken slightly, the clouds in the direct line of sight much darker and thicker. And yet, Axel knew, these weren't clouds. Even with the rain, he could smell it.

Demyx saw the damage before Axel could stop him.

They had found the tower they were looking for, and it was on fire.

* * *

><p>Sloppy but progressive. I hope to patch the holes and finish up this world within a chapter or two. I'm not sure when the next update will come, but since I have school coming, and I'm a junior with a paying job, fanfic will definitely be on the back burner.<p>

Thank you to **_Mystical Authoress, TheChel, SoraIsMyHomeboy, Rexness613,_** and Anna, as well as anonymous reviewers **_Guest_**and **_Jim-da,_**for continuing to support this story. _  
><em>


	21. Dim Resolution

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Chapter Twenty

Dim Resolution

His face was blank, calm, unreadable. Demyx tossed the map from hand to hand, not showing anything, though his voice betrayed him. "No… no way…"

The pouring rain had slowed the damage, but it was obvious the whole place had been burning for quite some time. There was evidence that the structure had once been an ornate sort of… city… from the burning spires and charred swirls of woodwork, bridges crumbling into the stream below.

The highest tower, the one they needed to get to, was still burning; Axel could see the flames pouring out the window. Demyx let out a shaky sort of breath, like he'd been punched in the stomach. He set off running, down the shallow mountainside, and down into the burning village.

"You idiot! Where are you going?" Axel screamed after him, before following.

* * *

><p><strong>Demyx<strong>

The heat was oppressive; the wood was steaming where the rain hit it, and still most of the structures were openly burning. It was hard to breathe as I tore through the city, trying to find a way to the 'highest tower' that wasn't burning. Each breath hurt; I wasn't accustomed to so much hot air and smoke. I could hear, distantly, Axel screaming at me to stop, but I couldn't. To see my only lead torn up in front of me, to know, undoubtedly, that one small, necessary piece of the puzzle, not to mention our way home, had been destroyed, weighed heavily in my heart.

I had to keep moving.

I tore down street upon burning street, not seeing the scenery, the beautiful architecture. I didn't notice the absence of people. I didn't notice anything but the burning tower, burning, surely, much too hot for the delicate metal and glass to avoid destruction.

The staircase was alive with fire, wire and wood burning. Some numb part of my mind wondered who had built this whole place, and with what purpose? Why was there a whole empty city? Had the alchemist built it, or just lived here?

Immune to caution, my lungs protesting, I started up the stairs. My hands and arms were blistered from the heat; I was sweating like crazy. But I had to keep moving forward… I had to save the key…

The burning city looked like some gateway to Hell.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Before I could take another step forward, I was seized around the waist and thrown to the ground, all of the breath knocked out of me, bruising my chin on the stairs. I was being held down, and as much as I fought, the restraint was absolute.

"Demyx…"

I coughed, choking on smoke and common sense. He loosened his hold on me, but made it clear I wasn't going anywhere. While the fire weakened me, it strengthened him. His eyes seemed to glow. "It's over," I told him, still trying to draw a clean breath. "It's all over, okay?"

The flames were jagged and leapt still higher, seeming to consume us. Axel pushed the flames back, held them at bay, while I could feel consciousness slipping away, bit-by-bit. I'd always known that I had a lower immunity to fire and smoke than the average human, but I never thought it would bite me like this.

The hot air seemed destined to smother. I tried to draw low, slow breaths. My skin was slick with sweat.

"You're an idiot!" Axel yelled at me over the sound of pure destruction. "You're going to get yourself killed!" He reached a hand out towards me, but pulled it back, knowing that he was most likely to hurt me more in that situation.

I'd never much thought about our differing elements, but I guess they were here to bite us back now.

"I can try to clear the way for you, but you've got to move now, you hear me? Don't worry about it. I'll get the box. Just get out of here alive!"

Something seized me around the waist again, stronger than Axel's arm. I was abruptly silenced, and everything went dark.

* * *

><p>The sudden lack of noise startled Axel; he couldn't even hear the sound of the fire. Hot air pressed into his body; he was nearly paralyzed, being held.<p>

_Not this bullshit again._

Everything was dark; there was just a sudden absence of all light, considering the situation they had just been in. The darkness only lasted a few seconds before the hold on him was released, and he fell to the ground with a spectacular _thud._

Axel recovered quickly, standing up and immediately going on the defensive. All of the flames within a good twenty-foot radius had been extinguished, leaving the area dank and chilly. With a growing sense of apprehension, he found Demyx lying in a crumpled heap across the cleared area.

He immediately ran forward to check on his friend, only to be seized yet again. He found against the hold, but it had no beginning and no end; he had no choice but to remain motionless.

"Not so fast," came a smooth, soft voice. "I still need you."

He barely had to think to identify the voice. "You must be Xaldin's replica." Axel spoke without meaning it. He was set rather lightly down. Near the unconscious Demyx was the replica, dressed in the black coat with the hood up, his arms behind his back, so like Xaldin.

"A surprising deduction. Why is it that you don't think that I'm the real thing?"

Axel smirked. "Sora killed you."

"He also killed Xehanort."

"I suppose you have a point." He paused, weapons at the ready. "Is there a reason you're here?"

"My mission is simple," the replica continued, without turning. "I'm not to let you get that box."

"So you _are_ a fake," Axel practically purred. "The real Xaldin would never take orders from Xehanort."

"If you know anything about my past, then you know that, at one point, I was a researcher along with him."

"…Yet you were also just like everybody else, seeking to create his own Organization." He smirked. "I suppose you don't plan on going without a fight."

"My exact orders are to kill you," the replica said in that toneless, slick voice.

"So you're after me, and not Demyx? I admit, it's nice knowing he's starting to branch out." Axel flawlessly summoned a chakram. "I hate to break it to you, but I'm the one at an advantage at the moment." He gestured to the fires still freely burning, just outside their small circle.

"Maybe you forget," the replica added, this time with a deadlier tone, "that fire cannot survive without _oxygen._"

Axel anticipated the action before it happened; he drew a deep breath, and felt a sudden deep squeeze all around them as the fire was smothered.

"Tell me," Xaldin continued quietly, "how long can you hold your breath?"

How was he supposed to possibly react? Time was ticking- he could tell. Axel had to think fast. The replica was right, though- without oxygen, how was he to fight? He only had his weapons, and a limited amount of time.

Axel had to think; his mind spun in circles. There was no way to just easily kill him.

"I'm sorry it had to end this way," Xaldin said bitterly, turning to face Axel fully, pulling off his hood to reveal that nearly identical face, with that same, hard-to-place distortion that the Zexion replica had.

Axel attacked the second that Xaldin did- his lungs felt crushed, and a wave of black threatened to overtake him.

_He really _is_ going to kill me._

There was a flash of steely silver, ink-colored blood all over the blade. And then the replica just fell, and said no more.

Drawing shaky, uncertain breaths, Axel looked up and found Demyx standing and holding his Keyblade, a dark expression on his face. "You do _not_ hurt my friends," he said in a strange voice.

Still woozy from the lack of oxygen, Axel wondered if he was imagining things. Sure, Demyx had to abscond from his usual pacifist act on this mission, but so far Axel had never seen him just attack like this. It was unlike him.

Axel wondered if there were things he didn't know about his friend. Maybe he simply just assumed that Demyx was harmless. Weak. Often helpless.

But in this weak state, slightly dazed, he suddenly saw him as dangerous, for the first time since Axel had found out about Xehanort's soul.

The look softened, and Demyx changed back into his old self, the kind one, the helpless one. He rushed over to Axel, a smudge of the inky blood on his face. "Are you okay?"

Axel propped himself up. "I'm fine, now. I didn't think… you were…"

"It's fine." He paused. "Let's just get what we needed and leave, okay? I'll go to the tower. Just stay here and breathe."

"But what about the fire?"

Demyx looked confused. "What fire?"

Axel gave him a look. "You know, the one that's covered you in burns?"

Demyx looked at his hands. "Well, it's gone now."

Was it? Why was he still so dizzy?

Demyx gently eased him back down. "You lay here. Relax."

Axel stared up at the sky, knowing the message he'd have to pass on in just a few moments' time. He dreaded it. He was wasting too much time. Any second they had wasted might have caused the situation to go from bad to worse.

There was a sound of wood scraping on stone. A small smile crossed Demyx's face, tired and fleeting. "This is it."

Axel sat up, seeing his friend holding the box that they had come looking for. It was a simple wooden box, with nothing noteworthy to differentiate it from any other box of the type. It was the perfect place to hide something. Demyx gently eased it open, letting the lid touch the charred ground.

Inside, the two little objects glittered brightly in the dim light. The key looked exactly like the first, a thin silver piece of metal. The orb was nothing but a large marble, pale violet in color and glinting with something akin to fog.

"This is it," Demyx repeated, somewhat disappointed. He turned the key over in his hand. "No surprise. It was Xaldin's." He sighed and picked up the orb, which flashed a little more earnestly at his touch. He set the orb back into its wrappings and pocketed the key. "That's it, then. We just have to go back. I… I thought it would never end."

"Silly of you."

Demyx stood, wiping a smudge of the black blood off of his face. "Are you okay? …Ready to leave, I mean?"

"Wait, Demyx…" Axel trailed off, forcing himself to his feet. "Before we go back there, there's something you need to know."

He intuited danger, eyes gleaming in a strange way. "…What is it?"

But Axel couldn't find the words. "You've still got some of that stuff on your face," he said instead, reaching forward and touching him.

Demyx nearly flinched. "You were going to say something else," he prodded. "What is it? What's wrong that you were hiding from me before?"

"You've got to listen to me," Axel continued, dropping the act. "You've got to listen to me and be calm about it."

As expected, the note of anxiety in his friend's voice was prominent. "What happened?"

"It happened before I could stop it." He figured he'd get it over with quickly, like ripping off a band-aid. "I was on the beach with Bonny. They had Yuffie captive. While I was trying to get Bonny to free her, one of the soul-taking monsters attacked the ship… and her."

Demyx took in a breath. "So what you're trying to tell me is…"

Axel put both hands on Demyx's shoulders. "I'm sorry, Demyx. It took her soul."

Demyx blinked rapidly. "Are you… are you…" He pulled away. "Is this some kind of sick _joke_?"

"Joke…" Axel shook his head. "I'm not lying to you. I was there I saw it."

Demyx laughed painfully. "If you had been there, you would have stopped it. You would have saved her."

"I tried, I swear I did… she was my friend, too…"

For a second he looked like he might yell. But Demyx's voice was barely above a whisper. "…Was."

"Demyx, I'm sorry," Axel repeated numbly.

"God damn it all," Demyx muttered. He ran his hands through his hair. "But… she… you were… _we_ were…"

"Come on, I'll take you back. She needs you."

He didn't move. "Did you… is it still…?"

"The monster's still alive," Axel continued, wincing as the shock coiled off of Demyx in waves. "But we've got to go back, Demyx. She's still hurt."

Something strange flashed in his friend's eyes. "You mean you just _left_ her there?"

"I had to find you. Bonny had told me she killed you. And we needed you to heal her."

"So you left her with _Bonny_?" Demyx's faced was flushed. "She's probably _dead_ now!"

Axel dared to touch him. "I'm sure she's alive. We've just got to go back."

His expression fell. "I guess… you're right."

* * *

><p><strong>Demyx<strong>

Nothing made sense anymore. Up was down. Black was white. And Axel had just told me that Yuffie had lost her soul.

It was like getting punched in the stomach, but it was much, much worse. Because this is what I'd feared, from the very beginning. Because this was a result of my carelessness.

I let Axel lead me back to the shore, numb with shock, unable to comprehend anything other than the ground in front of me.

What do I do in this type of situation? I'd never trained for this, either.

Now all I did was follow an endless list of tasks, all of it absentminded. Just take ten more steps. Ten more. Ten more after that. Maybe it would lead me somewhere.

That somewhere was the beach.

The sand was pockmarked with footprints, native and pirate alike. There were people of all types clustered on the beach, but I didn't see a single one of them.

I was waiting, waiting for the punch line, waiting for the other shoe to fall.

"Where is she?" Axel asked Bonny.

"In my cabin," the captain answered. "She seems to have stabilized, but her wounds are still pretty grave."

Axel kept a hand on my shoulder, leading me forward, leading me to the skiff that would take us across the water to the boat. I could barely feel anything other than the excess power of the still water.

We climbed up the ladder, giving the large hollowed out section a wide berth. I did see the blood, though. Her blood.

The captain's rooms were pretty much what I expected them to be- opulent, in an old-fashioned way, useless pretty things here and there.

She lay there, on the bed, her chest all wrapped up in white linen, stained partially with blood. Something in me threatened to break, but I had to hold it together, at least for the next few minutes.

"Light one of the lamps," I told Axel. "It's too dark in here."

She was only sleeping, I told myself. She was broken and she needed to be fixed.

I cleaned my hands, relishing the sting as I killed the germs. Gently, I unwound the bandages, sticking slightly with dried blood, and wondered if she could feel pain still.

Her skin was a tangle of gashes and claw marks. Even if I could heal it, it would never lay smooth again. The fabric of her bra was stained with the blood, and I had to look away, had to not think about it literally.

It was just another practice, just another petty injury that Aerith passed by me. This wasn't real. It was fake. My memory was altered- the perception, warped.

A pulse. Weak, substantial. Her lips were pale, waxy. I could see all the veins in her eyelids, could count them with a fingertips.

My throat felt swollen shut, but I had to keep breathing. Had to keep _her_ breathing. I had to think. Antiseptic, then bones first, then blood vessels, then nerves, then skin. Axel numbly handed me what I needed without being asked. I looked at the thin white lines that were left behind, a web that I could trace. I gently pieced back the remains of her shirt to keep her warm, considered giving her mine. Axel took a blanket off a chair, and we both spread it over her.

I didn't know what to do anymore. Looking at my hands, covered in her blood, I just couldn't do it. I cried until my eyes burned and my chest hurt from the heaving.

Eventually, I became aware that it was raining again. Rain pelted on the thin glass windows. I wondered if it would break. I couldn't move. My body felt numb. Time passed, but I didn't know how much of it.

"We have to go back, you know," Axel finally said. He'd left me be for some time, poking his head in every so often. It had to have been hours I had been sitting here, but I couldn't bring myself to do anything else. "We have to go back. We have to find Sora and go home."

"We can't."

He seemed startled that I had spoken. "What do you mean? We have to get Yuffie back to Radiant Garden. Aerith should have a look at her… I mean, you're not exactly focusing right now…"

"The monster, though. We need to kill it."

"Demyx…"

"_Axel_."

"We were lucky to find it the first time. And that's because Xehanort wanted you to. He wanted Aerith to tell you what she'd seen." Axel paused.

I turned, felt my face burning. "What else am I supposed to do? This isn't exactly the time for a lecture." I gestured to Yuffie, breathing calmly under the blankets, unmoving. "She's _gone_, Axel unless we can find that monster. And it looks like we'll only be able to go home _once._"

"Xehanort sent that monster here. It's not going to be easy to find."

I stood at my full height, eyes flashing in a way that was almost terrifying. "Do you _want_ her to be dead?"

"Of course not." Axel glared back at me levelly. "I know you must be in a lot of pain now, but we've got to find Sora. Maybe he can help her."

"I just can't leave, okay? Not like this. Not now." I started through the battered windows and out at the horizon at the mountains in the far distance. "I can't leave until it's dead."

"She needs to see them, Demyx. Sora and Aerith can probably figure it out."

"But this is uncharted territory. We don't know if there's another way to…" I exhaled, my eyes smarting.

He opened the wooden box that I'd somehow managed to carry up here, took out the small sphere, and curled the fingers of my free hand around it. "I'm going down to the beach to help out with the negotiations."

"What happened?" I asked, even though I could care less and was barely conscious that the words passed my lips.

"Captain Bonny and the chief are negotiating the tribe's freedom," Axel explained, clearly disinterested. "She doesn't seem too keen to find that fairy dust now, since she saw the monster coming from near it. She seems to think that there are more of them over there."

"A logical conclusion." I spoke listlessly. Something stirred in me- _I _was the Keyblade wielder, _I_ should be handling this sort of stuff, not him. I stood, my knees trembling. "I should be out there. We can't leave this place in a mess."

"You're a mess."

"I know that. So?"

His eyes were sympathetic, but still as hard as flint. "So, you're most likely to hard the argument than help it."

I sighed. "How's it going?"

Axel shrugged. "About as well as can be, considering they're both hostile. No one's been attacked. Yet."

"Let me come down to the beach. At least until they've finished their arguments. I won't say anything, I promise." _I just need to get out of here._ For ten seconds, I needed to be useful, to know I could fix _something._ I needed to know that I wasn't useless.

Axel sighed, too. "I'm not sure how long it will take. She's lost a lot of blood. I'd like to just go, and we can deal with everything later."

He was right. I knew he was right. All I'd done all day was sit here and cry. I wanted to go home and rest; I'd been hurt today, too. This had to be the longest day of my life. "We'll stay out for the negotiations, and then we'll go home."

Axel ruffled my hair. "It's going to be okay, Demyx, I promise."

"Okay, Axel." There was honestly no point in arguing with him now; I just didn't have the energy. I wanted to lie down and sleep next to her. Maybe I would. Maybe I would crash from the low blood sugar. Might be a new experience. Too bad Axel would have to clean up my mess, but wasn't that always the case?

* * *

><p>Have you ever lost something so deep, so vital, that by losing it, you don't even notice at first? You just keep on going like nothing happened, not feeling, just shocked to the point of recklessness. Then, very slowly, comes the pain. At first you're breathless. Your chest spasms. You can't breathe; your lungs are crushed. And then it's so sudden, so clear, that the one stable point in your life was gone; that the only thing you had to protect had been destroyed.<p>

That's how it felt. I knew that I'd failed, made that fatal mistake. Everything was just a convoluted ball of mush; by choosing to find the orb instead of save my friends, I'd just tossed Yuffie's life aside like it meant nothing to me.

I'd had to make an impossible choice- pursue one empty lead, or go back and make sure everyone was okay. Somehow, I felt that both paths had just led me farther and farther from my goal.

We had the key. We had a way home. We just had lost something very vital.

Souls were something I'd studied in depth, and yet still I knew almost nothing. I knew how they came into the world, how they left it when the body was born and died. I'd learned how _hearts_ could be ripped away and returned to the body, but not souls. This was a vital, missing piece of my training.

"I'm sorry," I said to her empty face, "I promise I'll bring you back."

How long could she be separated from her soul? Aerith had only been gone a matter of hours. Here Yuffie might be kept in stasis for an indefinite period of time, but the logistics were fuzzy- even if I did find and kill the monster, would her soul still return if her body were somewhere else?

And the monster. Was it here? We'd gone apeshit searching for the one that'd had Aerith, and yet, now, nothing. Axel was trying to convince me to _leave._

I couldn't risk her life twice.

She did need genuine medical attention. I had healed the wounds, but I couldn't replace the blood she'd lost or give her the fluids she needed, or would soon need.

But once we left, there was no way to return… So even if I stayed behind to hunt the monster, I'd have no way to go home. And Sora had made it adamantly clear that _I_ had to kill Xehanort.

My breathing crept towards hyperventilation. There had to be _something_ I could do, some way to find her soul that didn't involve killing the monster. Would it be in the Lifestream? Did this world even _have_ a Lifestream, given the fact that the people here were essentially immortal?

I had no answers to these questions.

I buried my head in my hands, wanting to rip out my hair. I needed to sleep, but had no time to. Would a fifteen-minute nap wake me up? Clear my head? Or just double-shock me to this whole situation?

I exhaled through my teeth, forced myself to stand, and went out onto the deck, trying not to see the blood flow through her pale skin.

Outside, it was cool and drizzly. We took the skiff over to the shore, which was sticky with footprints and places where boots had stuck. My own feet clung to the sand; my whole body felt heavy.

I was surprised that Axel let himself out in the rain like this after being in the water, but if his powers were already weakened, why not just go for it? He'd done this for me, left himself vulnerable. I should have been grateful, but I wasn't.

The captain and the chief sat on the beach, on a blanket, knee-to-knee. Behind each were several warriors- the pirates had guns, the natives bows. Each held their weapon at the ready, casually ready to attack the enemy, but the voices were relatively calm.

"It's that simple. You have your land, we have ours. We'll stay away from you, hunt on our own lands, if you do the same."

"You should leave," the chief replied calmly, but forcefully. "You go back to where you came from when they leave. Your way home has been found. You've caused more havoc than I can allow- kidnapping my daughter and leading to the death of an innocent girl."

I felt that same harsh twinge, but the conversation continued sinuously. "You don't come from this world, either," the captain countered, blue eyes flashing. "Why don't _you_ want to go home?"

"My people have been here three hundred years. And in those three hundred years, I fear the land we have come from changed much, became a place where we can no longer live without encroaching on nature."

I thought back to the polluted industrial world, and wondered if that's what they were referring to.

"…Yet, in those three hundred years, we haven't once dared to approach the tree spirit colony. The spirits have much too much an influence over the world here." He was rational.

"Spirits?" Bonny spat- one of the pirates tensed. She waved a hand, gestured him down. "You mean the _fairies_? Are you kidding me?"

"Their dust is what sustains the vitality of the land, given that it's frozen in time. If you attack them, kill them, the land will die and we'll all starve."

"Well, I don't want the damn dust anymore."

"I should be glad. It wouldn't do you any good anyway." His face was grave.

"Excuse me?" She blinked.

"The dust. It would vaporize your body, unless you were but of the purest spirit."

Axel's eyes seemed somewhat glazed- I knew we were both trying to figure out the same thing. In the Neverland we were familiar with, the dust didn't kill all but the purest- it only made people fly. Had this world really changed so drastically since we'd last encountered it, three or so years ago? Had some war gone on, some darkness taken over, that had reshaped it in the way we now saw it? Where had Peter Pan gone, and Hook, and all the other characters that lived here? What changed it from a harmless jungle to the harsh woodland that was here now?

All these observations were made numbly. I knew it was time to step in. I cleared my throat, and everyone, looked up, startled. The warriors dropped their weapons when they saw that we were harmless. "We're here to help with the peace negotiations," I said in a dry voice.

"We don't need you involved any more than you have been," the chief said, clearly but kindly. "Go. Take care of your friend. We don't need you here right now."

I exhaled. "That's just it. We're leaving soon. And I'm kind of… obliged to see you through to relative peace before I go."

"I don't want anyone else to be killed like she was," Bonny spat. "I'm done, I've got what I want (or didn't get it, the point is that I'm through). I'll leave. We'll all leave. Try to find a place to fit in the modern world."

One of the pirates was scandalized. "Captain! Are serious?"

She turned to face him. "I am. I'm not about to go get that dust if it means we're just going to die anyway. We might as well go back. Nothing is keeping us here anymore."

He fell silent, but another one piped up. "We'll just get old and die."

"I was planning on returning with or without the dust. I'd just age anyway. Well, now that it's clear that this whole plan was fruitless, I see no reason to remain behind. I tire of this same old gambit." She shook her head. "I'm leaving. You all can stay, I don't care."

"Very well," the chief said. "You will release my family and leave immediately."

"Indeed," she said. They shook hands, ice white against copper.

In the semi-chaos that followed, it became clear that the pirates disagreed with their captain's decision. She told them several times that they did not have to follow, but a few agreed with her idea and went to leave with her.

Bonny gathered her things into just one steamer trunk. She told us that what was inside would set her up nicely for the time being, and neither of us bothered her. So, holding the tiny orb in hand, we joined her, Yuffie limp in my arms.

"Drop it on three," Bonny instructed. "If a bullet was enough to take the whole ship the first time, I see no reason why it won't take us all back."

"Are you ready?" Axel asked me. "Once we leave, we can't come back."

I exhaled- if there ever were a catch 22 situation. "Yes."

"One."

We'd never find the monster. We hadn't even tried.

"Two."

Chances are, this just sealed her fate, and I really just was killing her.

"Three."

With a bang and a great flash, everything disappeared.

* * *

><p>I totally suck at these negotiations...<p>

This chapter was long coming, so I hope its extra length was worth it (and the angst wasn't too much of a detraction XD). I wanted to post today because it's October 10th, and Nocturne's Return has been published for three years. Three. I know _people_ that are younger than this damn fanfiction.

I want to thank all of you for reading with me, and sticking through when the story has crossed rough patches (and there were many of those). Since I first started, I've really grown as both a person and a writer, considering I was in my early teens when I started writing a very vague story about a Nobody that got his heart back. Well, KH 3D has squashed the canonicity of this story big time, but it's still a ton of fun to write!

I honestly hope that I'll have finished this series within the next year, but it's going to be a crazy, weird ass ride. XD

Thank you **_littlev123, Mystical Authoress, TheChel,_**and **_SoraIsMyHomeboy_** for reviewing last chapter!


	22. Paradox Unfolding

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Chapter Twenty-One

Paradox Unfolding

Soon my vision evened out; we were back on the endless road at the edge of the industrial city. Yuffie was heavy in my arms. I was on the verge of nervous collapse.

"Just hold on for another hour," Axel told me. "Another hour, Demyx."

Just nine more steps, I told myself, and then nine more. Because ten was too high a number for me to remember.

That hour seemed to last an eternity. The road stretched on and on, and she got heavier and heavier. But I couldn't put her down or even let her go. This was my fault; I had to carry the burden, the utter, breathtaking guilt.

We reached a small forest outside the city. It was sunny out, and physically hot. The light shone dimly through the trees.

"Stay here," Axel instructed me. "Rest. Breathe. I'll try to locate Sora."

I nodded, too worn down to protest.

Lying with my back against a tree, and her head in my lap, there was endless room in my mind to just _think._ Here she was, just a soulless body, the part that made her really Yuffie just simply gone. Vanished. I was tethered; my thought processes couldn't stray from that idea, and all it entailed.

There has to be some way to help her. We know nothing about the natures of these soul-takers. Do they devour the souls, or just take them, to be set free at any time? Did the soul just return to its body, or did it have to be purposefully placed there? How much time did she have? How much time did _I_ have?

Between the worrying and the guilt, I fell asleep.

As I slept, I didn't dream. It was a moment of pure escape, free from everything. I had been so physically worn out that I was surprised I had made it this far. I might have slept for another couple hours or maybe a day, but Axel roused me only a few minutes later.

"Demyx. Wake up."

The air tasted like something sharp and oily. I had to blink several times. "Did you find him?"

"I found _someone_."

The bright light of midday burned into my eyes; I had to squint. The figure I saw standing next to Axel was slim and small and definitely not Sora. "Kairi?"

"We were so relieved to know you were back," she gushed. "Sora was so worried."

I sat up, feeling the imprint of tree bark against my spine. I blinked again and noticed she was no longer next to Axel, but crouched next to me, her expression grave. Everything came back to me fiercely. Despite my spot in the shade, the sunlight seemed to cut like knives. Kairi examined Yuffie, taking a pulse, a temperature. My throat felt swollen shut. "Do you know anything?" I asked, barely able to speak.

Kairi shook her head, her eyes glittering with tears. "I… almost didn't believe Axel when he told me… But after what happened to Aerith…"

"I know. I…" I was starting to lose control again. I took a breath to center myself. "Do you at least think Sora knows anything?"

"He might," she admitted, "But we're so much more familiar with _hearts_ and how to retrieve them, not souls. Yet I'm sure he knows more than I do…"

"So where is he? Did he leave?" I could understand _why_ he would leave, but the fact that he would leave while we were apparently vanished into the abyss stung a little more.

"No. He's been searching for the key. Where were _you_?"

"It's a long story," Axel told her, tired and somewhat defeated. "But we have the key."

I took the item out of my pocket and handed it to her to prove it. Kairi took the key from me, holding it to the light, as if it would dissolve into nothing. "Where did you get it?" She asked. "Where did you go?"

"Neverland," I said softly. "But not the one you're thinking of. It's a long story… I don't quite understand it myself… Look, can we find Sora?" It was a miracle I could still think clearly.

She seemed to understand. She should have. I was still too deeply in shock to comprehend what was going on. "He was still doing reconnaissance, and looking for you guys… well, now we know what happened." I felt my eyes smarting, but there were no tears. Kairi frowned. "Let's go to the rendezvous point."

Axel helped me ease Yuffie off the ground and into my arms. Her skin was still warm to the touch, almost too hot. My own skin was below temperature. I wondered how long it would take for it to really hit me- probably when there were no other options.

I wondered if this was all some large, disproportionate nightmare.

As Kairi led us across the countryside, I could feel Yuffie's weight in every step. She wasn't even heavy; actually, she was quite small. I used to be able to pick her up and throw her over my shoulder like it was nothing. Now, with my own body so heavy, I felt like I would collapse and bring her down with me. Maybe I would.

"Demyx," Kairi asked suddenly, "Are you okay?"

Physically, I was fine, or fine enough, if that's what she meant. "I'll be alright," I told her dismissively.

"Let me carry her for a while," Axel offered. "You look terrible."

"No. I'm fine."

They both stared at me. For a long time, none of us spoke. "We're almost there," Kairi said finally, her voice full of bitterness. "It's getting dark. They should be getting back soon."

We went up an embankment and found the ship there, heavily covered with leaves, a bit south of where we had originally landed. There were remains of a fire near it, and places where leaves had been moved or grass slicked down.

"How long were we gone?" Axel asked. "It couldn't have been very much more than…"

"A few days," she finished curtly. "Three or four. Wait here." She pulled a handle on the hull; the bottom swung down to a ladder. A minute later, she came back out, holding a pillow and a blanket. We laid Yuffie down on her makeshift bed. She looked as if she could be sleeping, but the irregularity of her breathing exposed the truth. How much longer could her body cope without a soul? Aerith had gone nearly a whole day, but Yuffie hadn't had nearly the same spiritual training. Could she really be fading after such a short amount of time? This was supposed to be an _eventual_ process.

What was I supposed to tell Leon, Cid, and the others? It was my entire fault, and I knew it; having basically killed their Yuffie, would Leon would kill me too? I could only be so lucky.

Kairi gave me a quick examination, too. She made me drink a sweet-smelling liquid that made me feel sick. It wasn't the mild tea that Aerith made for blood loss. "It's been some time since you were hurt. This will fix anything since then," was the excuse.

We all sat there for some time. Time seemed to pass so quickly. I couldn't sit still, despite my mounting exhaustion. I took to pacing; counting each step until Axel finally seized my arm and said, "If you don't calm down, I'm going to make Kairi sedate you." His expression was serious.

"I just can't sit here and do nothing," I told him. "She's just wasting away the longer we wait. I have to go out there. I have to do _something._"

"I wouldn't make you wait like this if I actually knew where he was," Kairi said. "I haven't seen him since morning."

"Use your watch. Do _something._"

Axel squeezed my arm more tightly. "You're getting frantic. Just breathe, okay? Can you do that?"

I sat on the ground. "Why are you all so calm?"

Axel opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted when we all heard the distinct sound of footsteps on dry leaves.

"He always was such a graceful hunter," Kairi remarked dryly, a small, sad smile on her face. She raised her voice. "Sora?"

"I'm here," he called back, pushing back branches and stumbling into the clearing. "I'm back… Guys?" He saw us, made eye contact. Sora looked the same as ever, his sleeves knotted up, his jacket full of burrs. "You're back. How…?"

I got up. "That's not important right now. I need your help. Please."

He saw how bedraggled and tired we looked; my bloodstained shirt, the dirt smudged into our faces. "What…?" He noticed Yuffie, lying on the pallet on the ground. "What's going on here?"

"We found another one of the monsters," I told him. "The world we found… it had one. And it got her."

It took him a moment to comprehend what I said. "Are you _sure_?"

"Of course I'm sure. I knew… I knew the moment I…" I couldn't speak anymore, and shook my head.

Sora gave me a startled look, and ran over to her- like Kairi, he took Yuffie's pulse, but also held his hand above her face, above her heart. His look was uncharacteristically grave.

"Please tell me you know something." The note of hysteria rose in my voice without my knowledge. "You can save her. Right?"

"Demyx, I…"

"_Please._" Axel grabbed my arm again. I tried to shrug him off, and failed.

Sora's eyes were, dull, defeated. "Did you kill the monster? Is it still out there?"'

"We only had one chance to come back. There was no time when she was physically dying," Axel explained in a dull voice.

"I don't know, Demyx. I wish I could tell you what you wanted to hear, but I don't know."

It was like I'd been punched. I was so sure he'd know more than I did; but why would he? He'd been so trained to deal with the heart.

Sora stood up and rested a hand on my shoulder. "It's not hopeless yet," he told me, trying to be soothing, though I had seen something crack in his eyes. The first casualty. "Aerith could know something."

"If she had," I said quietly, "You think she would have told me."

* * *

><p>The trip home was morose. We'd accomplished what we'd come here to accomplish, yet we'd lost something in its place. Maybe they hadn't known her as well as I had, but I could feel the even mixture of pity and grief through the thin gummi walls. I couldn't stand to be in the same room with these people; I hid in the bunkroom, fighting for sleep, desperately needing to sleep, but unable to find it. I drifted for a long time, semiconscious, huddled under the thin blanket, neither present nor gone.<p>

I was only roused completely when I heard the cabin door slide open. I forced my eyes open. "Kairi?"

She shut the door behind herself and sat on the bunk across from mine. "How are you doing?"

"I'm… fine," I told her, because there weren't enough words or notes to define the ocean of grief that was mine to tread.

Her eyes were empty, staring at the thin carpet that covered the floor. "You don't believe Aerith can save her, do you?"

"It would have to be a miracle," I replied, equally as lightly. "She's gone, Kairi. There's nothing I can do." My voice broke. Shattered.

Kairi shook her head, fighting tears. "I'm so sorry, Demyx. I knew how much she meant to you."

She was going to make me cry, too. I drew a deep breath to center myself, tightening the blanket on my shoulders. "It was my fault," I told her, the confession rolling around the small room. "I made a choice. It was my fault."

Kairi looked up at me. "How could you say that? You _love_ her. How is it your fault?"

My voice had dropped practically to a whisper. "Because I chose the mission over her." So blunt.

"I can see what you mean." Kairi sighed. "Back before all of this, when we were just trying to stop the Heartless, Sora had to make decisions like this all the time. He could look for his friends, like he wanted, or he could keep traveling and trying to save the World. He had to weigh our lives and safety with that of countless others."

"Was someone ever killed because of it?" I asked. "What if this is all useless, a distraction, and the keys mean nothing? That means she would be gone for nothing."

"You can't blame yourself."

I laughed darkly. "Tell me, then, what I can do."

"You can't give up hope." Her gaze was fierce. She stood up. "We're going to be there soon, okay? Don't get too comfortable."

Back home, it was cloudy. There was no feeling of rain, but it felt like the sky would collapse any second.

I had no idea how to face what was ahead. Facing the guilt alone was crippling; what about these other people whose lives I'd just turned upside down? This was _exactly_ what Leon had feared.

I couldn't get over it. She used to be so _there_; all the time, no matter what, Yuffie had always made time to be with me when I needed. The one instance she'd needed me, I hadn't been there. So _stupid_.

If she had died, it might have been more of a relief than having her soul taken. At least if she was dead, her soul would have at least gone on, but this, this meant that wherever her essence was, it was most likely being tormented.

I had to do something. It was driving me crazy, the physical lethargy and knowledge that I couldn't just accept this information. There had to be _something, anything_ I could do. Sora could unlock gates to new worlds; he had to be able to bring me back there. I'd learn how to do it myself, if it killed me.

The ship touched ground surprisingly lightly, like nothing else had changed. I set the blanket aside, trying to will my body to move. My feet felt made of cement. It would be easy just to sit here forever and just wait, but action had to be taken immediately.

I forced myself to stand and hobbled out into the hallway, down the open hull and onto the grass. It was like no time had passed at all.

Had it been only four days? It felt like four lifetimes.

The ground felt too soft, almost unreal to me. I stared up at the sky, its usual violet hidden by clouds.

Well, it was true. There was no point sitting here and feeling sorry, though I couldn't help it. Her existence right now was stranger than anything we had encountered- physically living, but otherwise dead. It was a paradox, a piece missing from the puzzle. If I couldn't fix this, any way, I didn't know what I would do.

Axel came out and stood besides me, watching the sky, too. He didn't say anything. He didn't have to.

"How come it is that you stay?" I asked, still looking at the sky. "Why do you even care anymore? You have what you want. Why didn't you just leave after we killed Xemnas?"

"I admit that it crossed my mind," he confessed. "I don't know. When I'm not fighting against something, I have no purpose. I'm not cut out for normal life. I don't want one."

"Would you say that if we still hated each other?"

"I never _hated_ you."

"But you did think I was a nuisance."

Axel gave me something between a smirk and a smile. "That's true. But you were."

"I know. So what changed your mind? Why did you give up pursuing Roxas and the light when you became human?"

He sighed, like I couldn't possibly understand. Then the strange half-smile was back. "Wouldn't you like to know?" He patted my shoulder, a gesture everyone seemed to think was comforting. "Don't worry your pretty little head about it now."

Axel was in some peculiar mood. "Right. The task at hand."

"They're not going to blame you," he said in a low voice. "You didn't do this to her."

"It _is_ my fault."

"Please don't start this. I'm really not in the mood." His expression softened. Sometimes, when I was with Axel, I felt like I was with a perfect stranger, and a dangerous one at that. "Let's go," he continued. "Sora will bring her down soon. Let's just focus on breaking the news first."

"We never should have left this world," I said suddenly.

Axel laughed. "_Now_ you tell me."

* * *

><p>Aerith, Leon, and Cid took the news in a surprisingly accepting manner. Cid simply left the room. Leon denied that it was my fault; given how Yuffie was, it was inevitable. I didn't get it. I wanted him to fight me, to give me <em>some<em> sort of distraction from this. Even more enigmatic was Aerith, who simply nodded as if she knew. Maybe she had sensed it somehow.

The grief in the room threatened to smother. Sitting amongst them as they mourned and waited was impossible; even worse was when they brought her in and Aerith told us what I already knew- there was no way to fix this that she knew of. All we could do was hook her up to a nutrient drip and hope.

After a while, I just couldn't take it. I had to get out of here. I told them some bullshit story about how I was going to go help Sora. Axel was the only one who could call me out, but they all gave me a break.

I walked, no destination. I needed to keep moving to keep the unavoidable from consuming me. Gradually, I broke into a run. I had to get away- so far away. Times like these I hated my natural ability to run. I wanted my lungs to feel like they were on fire. I wanted my muscles to burn. I wanted to run until I collapsed, but I couldn't. I forced myself to keep moving until I was in the suburbs below the castle, the one that was still in ruins from the first soul taker attack.

I knew who lived down here. He was so completely irrelevant that I needed to talk to him, at least to help clear my mind.

The door of the little house opened before I was even able to touch the knob. "Ah, Demyx. You're late, as usual." Luxord, of course, was there. I didn't question how he knew I would show up, despite it being unplanned. I was used to Luxord's strange ability, even though it had come to encompass seeing both the past and the future. "Come on in," he continued. "Xigbar just stepped out."

Dazedly, I went into their small home. I realized I'd actually never been invited over here before. Previously, the few times we had met up, the meetings had taken place in dusty old pubs. Luxord seemed to be channeling that vibe here. The paneling of the small room was dark, with only a few candles burning for light despite the lamps that hung above our heads. The furniture was sparse, but comfortable- a sofa against one wall, a coffee table made of some dark wood, a card table, a few chairs of varying type, a recliner, and a chest of drawers. There were no pictures, no mementos of daily life.

"Have a seat," Luxord said, gesturing towards the card table. "Shall I make you a cup of tea?"

"No, thank you," I said numbly, though I did sit. The weak chair creaked a little, but held.

Luxord disappeared into the next room, presumably the kitchen, and came back a few moments later with two mugs. "You're looking poorly," he explained.

There were a few moments of dead silence; he leaned back comfortably, completely at ease, feeling no need to make conversation. He knew what I was here for, even if I didn't.

I took a sip of the tea- chamomile, sweet with a sharp undertone. He'd put a little alcohol in it. I nearly laughed. If only it would be that easy to get drunk. Immune to most poisons, alcohol did nothing for me, unless it was a heavy enough quantity.

"I heard what happened," Luxord said, and his look was genuinely sympathetic. "I express my sincerest condolences."

I sighed. "Thanks. I just don't feel like talking about it right now."

"Indeed. We can sit in silence for as long as you like." I could feel him counting the seconds, though towards what was a mystery. I downed the rest of my tea, even though I wasn't thirsty.

And then it occurred to me. He'd _know_ something, even if it were as simple as her fate. That's what he was anticipating. Why hadn't I thought of it earlier? "Hey," I said slowly. "You know a way to get her back… don't you?" I tried not to feel the hope, but it was explosive. Corrosive. I suddenly really wanted more of the tea, even if it wouldn't do a thing.

He smiled that Cheshire smile of knowing more than anyone. "I was waiting for you to ask," he admitted. Then the smile fell, and his eyes became strangely haunted. "I know what you're thinking, Demyx. It's not easy. It'll be fatal to both of you if you fail."

"_Both_ of us?" I paused. "And what exactly is your plan?"

"Have you ever heard the story of the Aborigines, and how they believe we're all connected by dreams, because all of our hearts and souls are fundamentally connected?"

"It sounds vaguely familiar."

"The theory is relatively simple. If we can put you in a deep enough state of unconsciousness, you can go down there and try to find her soul, which would have gone there if it had no place else to be. The body was alive, so it simply fled, into the Dreamscape."

"But how?" This was all so confusing. "Her soul was _taken._ It's not in some part of the afterlife. Her body would be dead."

"You don't understand me," He said calmly. "Regardless of placement, every spirit can reach the Dreamscape. You pass through the top layers every night, when you sleep. Considering she's been taken, she's most likely trapped there."

The reasoning was clear to me- kind of, anyway- but still it was a hard leap. "How do you know all of this? And what if it doesn't work?"

He stared me down, in that unblinking way.

I plodded on. "You know the future. What are the chances that I can bring her back in time for both of us to survive?"

His eyes narrowed, and he sighed. "Very, very slim. I'd say one in a thousand."

I shook my head, and tried to avoid the brunt of the impact. I couldn't let this chance elude me. I had to do this. I had to let her live. But on a bigger scale, I was needed for this mission. I couldn't afford to die.

Were millions of lives worth losing one, despite how precious it was? "What would it take?" I asked sharply.

"Well, you would have to be sedated. Unconscious enough to be lucidly aware in your dream without ever having practiced."

"And what would that take?"

There was a pronounced silence. Luxord didn't usually embellish his bad news, so it had to be specifically unnerving. "A type of poison."

I exhaled. "Then it's useless. I'm immune to most poisons."

"That's the kicker," he admitted. "I assume you're not immune to cyanide?"

"_Cyanide_?" If the dosage was just right, it would kill me like anybody. "Are you making this up? How would _cyanide_ help us?"

"I'm shocked. You're a healer. One of the symptoms of cyanide poisoning is being comatose."

I shook my head. "No. You said I'd only have to be sedated. If the poison has moved swiftly enough to induce a coma, I'd be basically dead."

"That's what I just told you."

I laughed, feeling tears burn in my eyes.

Luxord let me have my moment of hysteria, but moved on. "There was a time, back right after I joined the Organization, when they experimented with this. Zexion supposed that we might find our humanity in the Dreamscape. He tried to go down there, using me to slow time so the poison wouldn't kill him. The experiment was a failure, but we found out that there was something down there." He downed the rest of his drink. "It's a sort of world that nearly touches the Lifestream; an in-between of an in-between, if you will. That's why I supposed she was there."

"But when Aerith's soul was taken, it came back when the monster was killed. So it had to be physically inside the thing."

"Not necessarily. It might just be the tie with the living world, the thing that brings the soul back." He shrugged. "Mind, that's only a theory.

I was trembling. I had to do this, but poison… a poison that would kill me… "How long would I have?"

"It took about ten hours, when I was there, before Zexion's vitals began to fail. That's roughly two days in the Dreamscape."

"It's such a risk. She might not even be there."

"I completely understand if you don't do it. It's only logical."

I took a deep breath. "How long would it take to put this together?"

He paused, somewhat surprised with me. "You should talk to Sora about this first, at least gather his opinion."

"No. We have to act now. She's _dying_, Luxord."

He was silent.

"Please, Luxord. Haven't you ever loved anyone like that?"

For a moment, I thought I had pushed too hard. His eyes narrowed, and I thought he might hit me. A minute later, he sighed. "Let's go now."

* * *

><p>This update took years, and I apologize. Hopefully, swift sailing into the new arc! I've tons of inspiration. You can thank Doctor Who for that XD.<p>

I hope the explanations weren't too convoluted and unimaginable- they made sense to me, but if there's something you'd like to critique, feel free as always.

A big thanks to **_TheChel, littlev123, Mystical Authoress,_**and _**SoraIsMyHomeBoy**_ for reviewing last chapter. I hate whoring for reviews, but I'd like to know that people still read this, considering it's going to be a massive endeavor to finish it.

As always, thanks for reading, and more to come (though hopefully soon)!


	23. Under

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Chapter Twenty-Two

Under

I paced restlessly in front of Sora, waiting for a response. I still hadn't slept; there was no time, even though I was exhausted.

He didn't say anything. He seemed to be frozen. After a few minutes, he seemed to come around and blink a bit. His eyes, when they met mine, were full of sympathy and understanding- so when he stood up and took my hands into his, his response was a complete surprise. "No," he said softly.

My senses, dulled with exhaustion, snapped into sharpness. "I'm sorry, what?"

"No," he repeated more loudly. "I can't let you do this."

His hands were suddenly too unfriendly in mine. I had never expected him to do this. "So you're just going to let Yuffie die?"

"It's not something I _want_ to happen," he began. "But I can't afford to risk your life. You're _needed_, Demyx. You're the one who can end this."

I exhaled, my lungs deflating. "Did I… hear you correctly?"

Tears gathered in his eyes, distantly. "I can't let you go under."

"You won't let me save her," I stumbled, disbelieving.

"I won't let you chase a chance that's too narrow."

"Yuffie's _dying_," I continued. "What if this were Kairi? Wouldn't you do everything in your power to save her?"

"Of course I would," he whispered. "But this is different. There are potentially millions of lives at stake. It's been made abundantly clear that _you'll _be the one to kill him."

"This doesn't make sense," I snapped. "You're the one constantly dropping everything to save your friends. Why isn't she important to you? I have a way to save her. I can't… I won't…" My words trailed off incomprehensibly.

"Of course Yuffie's important to me," he continued desperately, and his eyes begged me to _please understand._ "But I have to think about everything else. I know this will hurt you, and I'm sorry. I just can't take this risk."

"What happened to you?" I breathed. "You're supposed to _save_ people, not just let them… you're not… you're too _different._"

"I'm not the person you remember," he admitted, his face devoid of emotion.

My lower lip trembled. I had been on edge all day; I was really at the end of my rope.

"I'll do it," he said. "I'll go down there. _I'll _save her."

"No." I shook my head. "You wouldn't find anything."

"But if I'm connected to you… and you to her…"

"It doesn't work that way. You have to know her mind, how she thinks. How she'd react in a situation like this." Luxord had explained the logistics, as far as he knew.

"What about Aerith? They're close enough."

I shrugged. "It might be a possibility. But I won't let her do this to herself."

He shook his head quickly and looked down, eyes unfocused. "And there's nothing I can do?"

"Unless you can go back to Neverland and hunt down that monster." It was a perfectly viable option, but the hunting would take _time_, and that was something we didn't have. We had hours.

Luxord said he couldn't help me with that. He couldn't keep Yuffie in suspended animation. She'd die anyway, with no soul to keep her here. No amount of magic could fix that, he said. If her body and soul were on two completely different timelines, a different type of monster could find her body- a monster that followed the timeline, seeking a vessel.

Our relationship having been indifferent for all of this time, I'd never realized how much responsibility he had. I hadn't known there were monsters other than what darkness created. They were of similar stock, but their origins were unknown. These creatures were bred to make sure time flowed evenly; that when someone or something died, it left the world immediately. Not all of them were benevolent. Some wanted to be a part of the world. It was too much of a risk, he said, to try and stop time around her when she was so vulnerable.

"I'm trying to work this out," Sora said. "Are you sure it can only be you?"

"No," I said. "But I _want_ to do this. I have a better chance than the others at finding her- I know her the best."

"Let me _try_," he said. "At this moment, I'm more dispensable than you. If I don't find anything, it's not a big deal."

I turned to leave the room. I wasn't going to get a good answer out of him, no matter how much I wheedled.

"I don't want to do this to you," he said to my back, the trace of a sob in his voice. "I'm sorry, Demyx. I'm so sorry."

I slammed the door behind me.

* * *

><p>I didn't need his permission.<p>

Anger seared hot through my veins, burning through the worry and exhaustion. I paced restlessly in front of the house, running my hands through my (dirty) hair.

Just who the hell was Sora?

What happened to saving everyone, no matter what the cost? He was going to let her die, and let her soul wander in what was essentially hell for the rest of eternity. He was going to _just let it happen _when there was a solution- a solution with little chance of working, but a solution just the same.

If and when she did die, what would I do?

Finishing the mission was a requirement, but it wasn't something I wanted to do at all. How would I even be able to go on? Especially since I had caused her to be that way in the first place? Even with Yuffie technically still alive, it hurt me more than I could bear. I was up against the wall- physically and metaphorically. I leaned against the cold stone, trying to work a way through this. I was too tired. I needed a good night's sleep, but when I woke up, it wasn't like anything would be any better. There wasn't enough time to do anything but sit here and feel sorry for myself.

The door opened. The others had allowed me my privacy so far, so I expected to see Axel, or even Sora, coming to mitigate things.

It was Aerith. She had a tray with tea and toast on it. She set it in front of me on the ground, her eyes red and otherwise unreadable. She smoothed her skirts, sat down beside me, and took my hand.

For the longest time, neither of us said anything. We just sat there. I knew she understood how I felt; she had grown up alongside Yuffie, and had helped raise her.

"You should eat something," she finally said. "You need to keep your strength up, too."

"I'm not hungry," I said numbly.

"Even so. From the sounds of it, you haven't slept, either."

I finally turned and looked at her. I felt like breaking down and sobbing from the exhaustion and the grief, but I restrained myself. "I take it Sora told you," I muttered, my voice trembling.

"He… did. It hurts me, too. But you have to see his reasoning."

"You mean you're just going along with it?" I had to laugh.

"What else am I going to go?"

"Oh, I don't know," I continued. "You could help me save her."

She swallowed. "It's too much of a risk."

I had seen the gleam in her eyes; she agreed with me. Naturally.

"Why won't you let me do this?" She asked. "I'm dispensable. I have more training with this type of thing. I could do it successfully, in the right amount of time."

"You'd do that?"

"I'm not only doing it for you. I'm doing it for myself, and for the rest of the committee."

"You might die."

"Aside from me, you know the most about poisons. I trust you to be able to save me in time."

"But will you… be able to find her?"

She touched my face, and I almost broke down then. "You forget that I've known her long than you. I know how Yuffie thinks. I'm confident that I can do this. You just leave it all to me." She stood to leave, knowing I needed to think.

"Aerith?"

She turned.

"Thank you."

* * *

><p>The others were less hesitant to let Aerith go down into the Dreamscape. They were more assured in her competence with this sort of thing, and they trusted me to manage the chemistry. Still, it was an unnerving and difficult thing for me to do; it was against instinct to deliberately administer a poison, especially since she didn't have the partial immunity I did. Given that Aerith was more human, she had less time. We couldn't risk more than five hours.<p>

Luxord showed up without us having to even summon him- he knew his lines well. "I admit this is a most interesting turn of events," he said smoothly, coming in barely before I had the door open. He nodded at all of us in barest greeting. "Don't be offended, Demyx, but I have more faith in your friend. We might have a chance yet."

Hearing the omniscient Luxord say this was calming to me, but I still felt drained, and anxious. The vial of cyanide in my hand, transparent and volatile, seemed to be made of lead.

It was even more difficult, watching Aerith sit there on the small cot we'd moved into Yuffie's room, smiling with an IV in her arm. There was nothing on her face to betray fear for her own life.

Luxord was nearby, on a wooden chair, ready to prolong the stasis for as much time as possible. He sat on that chair like it was a throne.

They were both so confident. I didn't understand how they were able to do this.

"Demyx, I'm ready when you are," Aerith told me calmly. "We'd better hurry."

I pulled the poison into a syringe. "I don't like the way this feels."

"You can trust the both of us," Luxord interjected. "Come, now."

I took a step closer. "It'll be painless," I told her. "I added a sedative. You'll be unconscious before the poison takes effect."

"I'm not worried about pain," Aerith said, lying down. I forced myself to give her the shot quickly. She gave me a smile, meant to reassure, before her eyes closed. The air around the three of them seemed to twist, bend, and grow heavier as Luxord slowed time.

"Don't worry," He said. "The odds are favorable. You don't want to know what would have happened if it had been you."

I nodded, barely comprehending anything at that point. "Is there anything that you need? I want to… rest for a while." I had a pounding headache; everything had blurred at the edges. I paused for a moment, unstable.

"I daresay you deserve it. Go on, now. Take your time. I'll be sure to wake you if something goes amiss." He tilted his head to the side, a frightening sort of look growing in his eyes. "Are you… feeling quite alright?"

"I'm a bit dizzy, but I'm sure it's because I haven't slept. I'll be fine in a few hours," I told him flippantly. I closed my eyes, resisting the feeling. "Though it kind of is out of nowhere." I turned to leave the room.

He half-stood suddenly, his chair scraping loudly across the floor. "Don't go to sleep."

I blinked several times. "Why not? I'm exhausted; and… you just told me to…" Another wave of vertigo washed over me; I had to grip the doorframe for support. "You… you know what this is… don't you…"

He reached one hand out towards me, as if to grab me.

I couldn't move. My body was heavy, leaden, and unable to hold itself up. I tried to stay there with him, to remain conscious, but it was too difficult. I fell to the floor in a dead faint.

* * *

><p>I'd always had a feeling that there were things that they were keeping from me.<p>

Some slight motion in my peripheral startled me; I felt like I'd been sitting still for a long time, but I had no concept of how long it had been. Hours, days, weeks. There had a complete absence of all thought.

I couldn't blame my subconscious for that. Even in my semi-aware state I knew this place was terrifying. It was all the stuff of nightmares- shadows within shadows, decay- a dry, barren landscape full of dust. The sky was low to the ground, and it was constantly foggy, but it wasn't the white fog of oncoming rain. The fog was thick, yellowish, and reeked like sulfur.

I hadn't tried to find a way out. I hadn't even known I was here.

My body seemed to be in one piece- arms, legs, hands, and fingers. I stood up; I had been in a clearing for quite some time. Vines dripped halfheartedly off of the naked tree branches; the bark looked charred, like it would fall to pieces at the touch.

What had moved? What had changed?

I tried to remember what had happened last, but it was difficult, and things were hazy at best. I remembered noise and a bright flash of light- lightning? No, the sky had been clear- and someone had been yelling, someone I'd never heard yell before.

Axel. Axel? Definitely Axel, sopping wet with his hair all over the place. Why had Axel lost his cool? And the look on his face- shocked and horrified- was one I'd never seen him wear. What would scare him enough that he would show it?

A monster. Something that flew. Scales and sulfur and wings and claws that had hurt when they touched my skin. My skin? Pain. An unimaginable pain that hurt much more than the claws. Burning. Then coldness. So cold. Then nothing.

Nothing.

With the pieces in place, it wasn't hard for me to piece it together. I had been snatched, grabbed, taken. My soul had been taken.

If that was so, then how was I here? How was I consciously thinking? What _was_ this place- was it the inside of the monster? It couldn't be- it was too _big._ But I knew it was possible to make something bigger on the inside.

I looked down at myself. All of my limbs were where they should be, and clearly mine. I didn't believe that I was only a soul- I _felt_ whole, at least, until I checked for a pulse.

There wasn't one. What was more, my skin had no temperature at all, neither hot nor cold. My body didn't feel real. I was dizzy, unbalanced. Personal inventory complete, I turned around. What had made that noise? Noise. Maybe my senses were exaggerating. Hadn't I _seen_ something, anyway?

Confusion. I was so confused. Nothing was right, or straight up in its place. I was a _soul_- just that, nothing more. Sanity had vanished along with my real body.

There was another flutter of movement in my peripheral. This time, I knew it was deliberate. Whatever it was, it wanted my attention. Things were a little more definite- what I had seen was a swirl of dark fabric.

For better or worse, I decided to follow it.

Never quite visible, the figure moved just quickly enough for me to catch it. Thankfully, because I didn't have a physical body, there were no lungs to tire, and no legs to ache, so I just kept going.

After a while, I grew bored, and knew there were important matters at hand, like getting the hell out of here. "Wait!" I called to the figure. "Please, wait up!"

The path suddenly ended, the foggy woods giving way to a cliff. Far below that was a small body of water, deep blue. He, or she, or it had to have gone down there.

I knew a thing or two about diving. Reflexively, I took a deep breath, and jumped. The water was an oddly sensory slap- I felt iced over by the time my head broke the surface. "Where are you?" I hissed. "Come back! I'm not finished with you!"

There was another splash, one towards the shore. I immediately swam for it. The more I moved around, the more I loved that my muscles didn't burn. It had to be one of the few advantages of this form.

I dragged myself up onto the beach and across the coarse sand that was studded with rocks. I saw the figure again, just a glimpse- it had stopped moving. I looked up, trying to be a bit wary.

Short, dark hair. Pale and petite, her face hidden from me- she was most definitely female. She was dressed in a black ensemble; black tank top, black shorts, black boots. I paused, halfway out of the water. "Who are you?" I asked, blinking.

She turned, her face fierce and guarded; she said nothing.

"This doesn't make sense," I sputtered, as I got a better look.

She looked exactly like me.

* * *

><p>I woke up choking on water.<p>

There was nothing more disorienting than waking up to find yourself on a shore. My mouth was full of wet sand- the water was like ice.

What had happened?

Luxord had been screaming at me, begging me to _wake up._ Or, like the distant echo of things not quite heard, was that happening right now?

I looked around, spitting up sand and mouthfuls of saltwater. My eyes burned. Everything was so violently physical that I had a hard time coping with what had to be the truth.

I was down in the Dreamscape. I didn't know how, considering I hadn't taken the poison. I'd just passed out, and I highly doubted that I'd worn myself down _that_ far.

Struggling to a stand, I tried to make sense of the surroundings.

The sky was a terrible mustard yellow, and everything was covered in a sort of thick fog that preceded certain types of rain. I highly doubted that it had rained here at all, recently.

Slogging through the water and wet sand, I found my way onto more certain terrain- a thick grass. I fell backwards, exhausted from the simple motion of getting up.

Water shouldn't tire me.

Even though my soul was still in my body, I hadn't expected things here to be so sensory. I had no idea what I _had_ expected.

I was here. I might as well try to find her, and consider what would happen to me once she was safe. I was sure my body was still alive.

Being here, now, I wasn't sure what I had been thinking. It had all seemed so clear to me- get down into the Dreamscape, find Yuffie, and magically bring her back. But where did I even begin to look? This place was made from the collected subconscious of everyone, after all.

That was where knowing her mind came.

Considering we were so close, our versions of this place had to be similar, or at least sharing one vein of connection. Now where to find it…?

Despite people thinking we were so much alike, Yuffie and I were two different human beings. We had different interests, different desires, different goals. We shared trivial things in common, but I knew what I was looking for would be much deeper than that.

I followed the path beaten into the knoll, trying to keep my eyes peeled.

What were some defining things that we shared?

Love for our home. Love for our friends. Love for each other.

The fog thinned somewhat, making the path in front of me a bit clearer. It forked ahead of me, into two sides. Which was the right choice?

This place was eerie, not at all how I expected my subconscious to be. It was too ordered, too tangible. Well, if this was my mind, or hers, did I have any sort of power here?

I hadn't expected to be able to use a weapon, or my powers. Thinking it might be the key to all of this, I tried to summon my sitar for the first time in a very long while.

I expected there to be hesitation, or some sort of internal glitch with all this going on. But no, the instrument, ever loyal even though I had neglected it, came to me. After the metal of the Keyblade, the smooth hybrid substance felt strange, almost alien to me. My body immediately knew how to readjust to its weight- this was natural to me, unlike the Keyblade.

So there was that.

I held the sitar tight to my body, ducking through the gloom. The path evened out. In the fog, I didn't notice things changing. Once the air cleared, the world around me had changed into a forest, but not the dark mysterious one of nightmares- rather; the trees were barren and weak. This was a place where evil was born.

The only sound I was aware of was my own breathing; I was hyperaware of even the slightest stretch of my own lungs. The sensations were all so vivid- was I really unconscious?

The only way to find that out would be to try and wake up. I couldn't do that, not yet- not until I had assured Yuffie's safety, and perhaps Aerith's, too. I decided to try calling for her. Yuffie was most likely not in the right frame of mind- she had to be weak and scared, unsure of this place. I knew I was.

"Yuffie?" Once I found my voice, it was easier to keep calling. "Yuffie? Where are you? Are you here?"

But there was no sound- just the echo of my own voice. I sat down on the ground, which was dry as sand, though somehow not dusty. The sitar rested in my hands, the fingerboard still cool to the touch.

Maybe I would play her a song. If she heard it, wouldn't she come forward? If anything, at least it would soothe my nerves. I started into a song she had to know- Via Purifico. My fingers were uncertain, having gone so long without practice, but within moments settled back into that old rhythm. It was easy to understand- I was a conductor for the music, and not the other way around. Here, everything was clear. Why hadn't I resorted to this earlier?

I ended the song, finally, on the last melancholic note. The silence around me was again suffocating.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The voice was startling and disconcerting- I slipped from my spot and fell forward, my sitar smacking me hard against the back. "Who's there?" I asked hoarsely.

"The more you acclimatize to this place, the harder it will be for you to leave," it continued. "You're already pretty rooted."

I sat up, feeling very exposed in the mist, even with my sitar. "You're not… you won't…"

"I can't make any promises. It's not hard to realize why you're here." The dark shape that the voice was coming from became clearer as she- it was either the voice of a woman, or a young boy's- approached. She was dressed in a dark coat, unlike that of Organization XIII, but still wholly covering.

"Who…" I began, but was shushed.

"You're Demyx," she said, putting one slim hand on her hip. There was something familiar in the way she moved- her gait, even the shape of her hand. I tried to place where I'd met this woman. "I know all about you."

I squinted, trying to see well.

"You really don't know who I am? I'm surprised- I thought it would be obvious. Well, it saves me the trouble of all these careless introductions. Short and sweet- you're dangerous. And the only way to save her is to get rid of you."

The realizations slammed into place. "You're…!"

"I'm really sorry about this. But it's all for the best." She was close now- too close, I realized, to make a break for it. She had me up against one of the trees. I tried at least to disarm her, or to push through her, but with quick, skilled blows, she nailed me in several pressure points, and I fell again, paralyzed and unconscious.

She drew something sharp from beneath her robe. When she leaned towards me, her hood fell back.

She drove the knife through my chest.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I wish it could have been done any other way."

I didn't understand. This didn't make sense. I struggled against the undercurrent of the pain. "W-wait… Yuffie…"

* * *

><p>You ever want the plot to go one way, and the characters take a completely different route? Happened with this chapter, as I think it's fairly obvious. I apologize for the lateness of this update. Life has a tendency to get in the way of these things. I've had this prowling around on my harddrive for a while, and I have a feeling it's a little bit of a disappointment.<p>

Oh, well. At least things are starting to get clearer, but as I think more I realize just what a massive undertaking this story is. Twenty-two chapters and we're still barely a toe out of the exposition. So I'll probably start making chapters quite a bit longer, even though that won't exactly do wonders for my hit count.

My goodness! I just realized it's been since last year. Happy new year everyone... XD ~~

Thank you **_Mystical Authoress, TheChel,__ SoraIsMyHomeboy_**, and Anna for reviewing.


End file.
